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Borsetshire is afictional county in theBBC Radio 4 seriesThe Archers. Itscounty town is the equally fictionalBorchester. The county is supposedly set betweenWorcestershire andWarwickshire, but is also intended as a genericWest Midlands rural county. Its name also echoesAnthony Trollope's fictionalBarsetshire[1] and the realDorsetshire.
Other places in the county includeAmbridge, whereThe Archers is mainly set, Lower Loxley, a nearby village andFelpersham, acathedral 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 (real-life)Malvern Hills may be seen in fine weather.[2]
Felpersham is probably the largest settlement in the fictional county of Borsetshire.[3] Felpersham is known to be the seat of aChurch of England diocese, a university,[4] and department stores. Unlike thecounty town,Borchester, Felpersham has city status. In having a cathedral but not being the county town it can perhaps be compared toLichfield orSt Albans.
The BBC map of Borsetshire shows mostroad numbers beginning with "1", which would place it inEast Anglia, although some roads begin with "4" (appropriate to its apparent location in the West Midlands), "3", which would place it in theWest Country, and even "9", which would place it in north-eastScotland. Fictional rivers in the county include the River Mercer, the River Perch and the River Am. There is also a fictional Felpersham Canal. There are railway stations at Felpersham, and at Hollerton Junction (nearer to Ambridge).
The Borchester Echo is the local newspaper published at Borchester. Radio Borsetshire is a local radio station.[5] Borsetshire Blue is the name of a fictional cheese made by Helen Archer in the programme.[6]