A MAN who is instrumental in driving the year's Magna Carta celebrations spent a day exploring historical sites in his namesake city.

Sir Robert Worcester, chairman of the Magna Carta 800th anniversary commemoration committee, arrived in Worcester at midday yesterday to get a glimpse of the city that was vital to the development of England's parliamentary and constitutional rights.

After arriving in the city he visited the Commandery in Sidbury for a tour of the building, which was the Royalist Headquarters during the Battle of Worcester, before climbing Fort Royal Hill, a site previously visited by US President John Adams in 1786, where he is quoted as saying ‘And do Englishmen so soon forget the ground where liberty was fought for?’ in relation to the Battle of Worcester of 1651.

Sir Robert then went on to the Guildhall for a tour and tea with the Mayor, councillor Roger Knight, before going to the cathedral to give his talk, entitled 'Bad King John? Did he do good at the End? The Relevance of Magna Carta in the 21st Century'.

Canon Alvyn Pettersen, from Worcester Cathedral, said: “The principle of Magna Carta is hugely important in the 21st Century and for us to explore the legacy in the presence of King John makes the challenge all the more pertinent. We are delighted to host such an eminent speaker as Sir Robert Worcester here in the Cathedral to speak about King John and Magna Carta.”

King John of England agreed Magna Carta — a charter establishing for the first time the principle that everybody, including the king, was subject to the law — at Runnymede, near Windsor, on June 15, 1215.

Susan MacLeod, operational manager at the cathedral, said it was wonderful to have the talk so close to where King John is buried in the cathedral.

"We had around 200 tickets to sell and the talk completely sold out, which was wonderful," she said.

"Sir Robert gave his talk in the cathedral choir where King John is buried, so it made the atmosphere really something special."