The battle of Powick Bridge should probably be better described as a skirmish, but its wider military impact far oughtweighed its scale and direct strategic importance. At Powick the well led, well trained and highly committed royalist cavalry of Prince Rupert, the most charismatic of the King's commanders, were pitted against well equipped put far less effective cavalry under Nathaniel Fiennes. In the open fields of Wick, between the suburbs of Worcester and Powick bridge, the parlaimentarians were routed, fleeing back across the bridge. Many of the parliamentarian cavalry did not stop until they had reached the main army many miles to the south. Powick was a major propoganda victory for the royalists and a serious warning for the parliamentarians.

Though it was an insignificant skirmish compared to later battles, it was the first substantial military action of the Civil War in England and its outcome had a profound psychological effect on both sides. It demonstrated that, although parliamentarian troopers might be better equipped, they lacked the training, commitment and leadership seen amongst their royalists opponents. This royalist superiority in cavalry, both real and psychological, was to undermine the parliamentarian war effort for much of the following two years. It was not reversed until Cromwell’s Ironsides began to make their mark in late 1643 and 1644.

The exact location of the battlefield within the area of Lower Wick is not known and all of the land, except for the meadow adjacent to the bridge, has been built over. However a visit to Powick bridge is worthwhile if combined with a tour of the 1651 Worcester battlefield.

• Historic England Battlefields Register CLICK HERE
• Historic England battlefield report for Battle of Worcester 1651 with Powick Bridge 1642