Borchester

Borchesteris afictional townin theBBC Radio 4radio seriesThe Archers.It is thecounty townof thefictional countyofBorsetshire.According to series tradition it is located 6 miles north-east ofAmbridgein the Am Vale and is a historicmarketandwool town.These typically English country-town features are complemented by more modern additions, such as Underwoods (an upmarket department store), Jaxx bar, which was previously a café both managed by Kenton Archer, and Ambridge Organics, the shop run by Helen Archer, who also makes the Borsetshire Blue cheese sold in Underwoods.

Location

AsThe Archersis usually taken to "exist" in a region centred onEveshamand somewhere not too far from theMalvern Hillsand the edge of theCotswolds,Borchester could be connected toBroadway,TewkesburyorPershore.Hints in the series about the range of shops, local features and road layout, as well as distances sometimes given between Borchester, Felpersham and Ambridge, tend to point to Pershore as the most likely analogy, if we assume that Felpersham = Evesham.Another school of thought has Felpersham asWorcesterand Borchester asDroitwich Spa.This view is supported by the existence of a Bishop of Felpersham - Evesham does not have a Bishopric whereas Worcester does. (At one time Bishop Cyril of Felpersham was an occasional character.)

Although it is a county town, it is not a city. The nearbyFelpersham,which might be based on Evesham, is the seat of aChurch of Englanddiocese and does have thecity statusthat usually goes with it. Borchester has aby-pass,built with much controversy during the 1980s. Evesham and Droitwich Spa both have by-passes but not Pershore.

The BBC published a map of Borchester in the 1990s, which, across a north-south axis common to both towns, was a 'cut and paste' ofEveshamwest of the axis andGreat Malvernto the east. A property company named Borchester Land has featured in the storyline for many years.

Facilities

Borchester is the location of the magistrates court for the area.Phil Archerserved as a magistrate there for many years. In 1968,Nelson Gabriel,son of Walter Gabriel of Ambridge and a notorious rogue, was committed for trial and remanded inGloucester prisonat the Borchester magistrates. He returned many years later to run a wine bar in the town from 1980 to 1984. Also in Borchester is Borchester General Hospital.

Borchester is the scene of frequent shopping trips and social encounters in the series. It has a mixture of trendy, "southern England" features such as wine bars and upmarket delis combined with some working-class neighbourhoods. The Grundy family lived for a while in a substandard council flat in Borchester after being evicted from Grange Farm in 2000.

Borchester College, formerly Borchester Tech, is aFurther educationcollege offering bothA-Levelcourses and vocational courses including management, hairdressing, and agricultural subjects.In 2002 it also offered evening classes in Italian.Several characters in the series have studied at Borchester College, and one, Russ Jones, taught there.