Borsetshire
Encyclopedia
Borsetshire is a fictional county in the BBC Radio 4
series The Archers
. Its county town
is the equally fictional Borchester
.
Other places in the county include Ambridge, where The Archers is mainly set, Lower Loxley, a nearby village and Felpersham
, a cathedral city
which appears to be larger than Borchester. Ambridge is on the B3980 six miles south of Borchester and seventeen miles west of Felpersham. Ambridge lies in the valley of the River Am below Lakey Hill from which the Malvern Hills may be seen in fine weather.
Fictional rivers in the county include the River Mercer, the River Perch and the River Am. There is also a fictional Felpersham Canal.
The county is supposedly set between Worcestershire
and Warwickshire
, but is also intended as a generic West Midlands
rural county. Its name also echoes Barsetshire
, and the names of the county and county town resemble Dorset
and Dorchester.
The BBC map of Borsetshire shows most road numbers
beginning with "1", which would place it in East Anglia
, although some roads begin with "4" (appropriate to its apparent location in the West Midlands), "3", which would place it in the West Country
, and even "9", which would place it in north-east Scotland
.
Borsetshire Blue is the name of a fictional cheese made by Helen Archer in the programme.
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
series The Archers
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
. Its county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
is the equally fictional Borchester
Borchester
Borchester is a fictional town in the BBC Radio 4 radio series The Archers. It is the county town of the fictional county of Borsetshire. According to series tradition it is located 6 miles north-east of Ambridge in the Am Vale and is an historic market and wool town...
.
Other places in the county include Ambridge, where The Archers is mainly set, Lower Loxley, a nearby village and Felpersham
Felpersham
Felpersham is a fictional city in the BBC Radio 4 radio series The Archers. It is probably the largest town in the fictional county of Borsetshire....
, a cathedral city
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
which appears to be larger than Borchester. Ambridge is on the B3980 six miles south of Borchester and seventeen miles west of Felpersham. Ambridge lies in the valley of the River Am below Lakey Hill from which the Malvern Hills may be seen in fine weather.
Fictional rivers in the county include the River Mercer, the River Perch and the River Am. There is also a fictional Felpersham Canal.
The county is supposedly set between Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
and Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, but is also intended as a generic West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
rural county. Its name also echoes Barsetshire
Barsetshire
Barsetshire is a fictional British county created by Anthony Trollope, which is featured in the series of novels known as the "Chronicles of Barsetshire". The county town and cathedral town is Barchester...
, and the names of the county and county town resemble Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
and Dorchester.
The BBC map of Borsetshire shows most road numbers
Great Britain road numbering scheme
The Great Britain road numbering scheme is a numbering scheme used to classify and identify all roads in Great Britain. Each road is given a single letter, which represents the road's category, and a subsequent number, with a length of between 1 and 4 digits. Originally introduced to arrange...
beginning with "1", which would place it in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, although some roads begin with "4" (appropriate to its apparent location in the West Midlands), "3", which would place it in the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
, and even "9", which would place it in north-east Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Borsetshire Blue is the name of a fictional cheese made by Helen Archer in the programme.