Great Malvern
Encyclopedia
Great Malvern is an area of Malvern, Worcestershire
, England. It is the historical centre of the town, and the location of the headquarters buildings of the of Malvern Town Council, the governing body of the Malvern civil parish, and Malvern Hills District
council of the county of Worcestershire
, England
, and a number of the town's amenities including the Malvern Theatres complex, a park, a swimming spool, a library, and a large indoor and outdoor sports facility. Positioned at the foot, and partly on the sides, of the Malvern Hills
, it is the original main urban centre of the area of Malvern, Worcestershire
that began with the founding of an 11th century priory
. During the 19th century, it became a popular centre for hydroptherapy and swelled to ìnclude the bordering settlements of Barnards Green
, Little Malvern
, Malvern Link
with Link Top
, Malvern Wells
, North Malvern
, and West Malvern
, and often referred to collectively - along with the hills - as The Malverns. In 1900 the former urban districts and towns of Great Malvern and Malvern Link were merged and form the current (2009) six wards governed by Malvern Town Council.
, on the eastern slopes of the Malvern Hills. The altitude of the town ranges from about 50 to 200 metres (164 to 656 feet) above sea level
. The River Severn
runs roughly north-south about 4 miles (6.4 km) to the east of the town.
).
At the heart of the town is a statue of Edward Elgar
the composer, who lived in the town. Among the many shops are three supermarket
s Waitrose
, Iceland and Somerfield, 66 feet (20.1 m) apart), a W H Smith
bookshop, Severn Office Supplies, Brays (clothing) a family-owned English men's outfitter established in 1895 and probably the town's oldest surviving retail business. Woolworths
department store, for almost a century a flagship of the British high street scene, and Malvern's longest existing shop in Church Street finally closed for business on 6 January 2009 due to the 2008 global economic crisis.
In the town is also an extensive Public Library
that includes access to many community services. Since the construction of the two large supermarkets in the town centre and other parts of Malvern, most of the traditional shops in the town are now tea-rooms, health food shops, specialist cafés and snack bars, banks, building societies
, second-hand book shops, charity shops, law firms and solicitors offices, and a large number of estate agent
s.
Along the railway line from Worcester
to Hereford
is the Victorian
Great Malvern railway station
, whose waiting room has been converted to a traditional tearoom. The station is a listed building and is a superb existing example of Victorian railway architecture. It has a private pedestrian tunnel (now derelict) built specially for the guests of the nearby Imperial Hotel which was the town's largest during its heyday as a spa town and resort. In 1893 the building which housed the hotel became the Malvern Girls' College
now called Malvern St James School.
of Worcestershire
.
The large, magnificent priory and parish church of Malvern also occupies a large part of the very centre of the town with its main gate in Church Street. It dates from 1085, with extensions in the years between 1450 and 1500.
For almost half a century, the Malvern Winter Gardens has also been a major regional venue for classical music, and concerts by legendary rock bands of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In 1998 a £7.2 million major redesign and refurbishment of the Winter Gardens complex took place with the help of contributions from The National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF)
, administered by the government Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The Splash Leisure Complex flanks the eastern boundary of Priory Park and has an indoor swimming pool and gymnasium.
Located between the hospital and the Malvern Hills College are the grounds and buildings of the Manor Park Club Multi Sports Complex that provides the Malvern area with extensive indoor and outdoor sports facilities. It is assisted by grants and loans from various bodies, including the Malvern Hills District Council
, the Sport of England (Lottery) and the Lawn Tennis Association
.
. Many premiers of works by famous playwrights had their first performances at Malvern, including two by Bernard Shaw. In 1956, on the occasion of the dramatist's 100th birthday, Malvern held a Shaw centenary week.
In February 1965 a Malvern Festival Theatre Trust was set up, and extensive refurbishment was undertaken. J B Priestley presided over the opening ceremony of the first summer season.
in the world. The main events of the Malvern Fringe
are the May Day
and the annual three day festival held in June as a fringe to the Elgar Festival. These are accompanied by musical and other live events throughout the year.
Much architecture and statuary in the town centre is dedicated to Malvern water, including the St. Ann's Well
, which is housed in a building dating from 1815. The drinking spout, Malvhina, by the sculptor Rose Garrard
, was unveiled on 4 September 1998. The Enigma Fountain, also by Garrard, was unveiled by The Duke of York
in 2000.
became famous for containing "nothing at all". It was the main reason for Malvern becoming a spa town and has formed a part of both local and national culture since Elizabeth I
made a point of drinking it in public in the 16th century, and Queen Victoria refused to travel without it. It is the only bottled water used by The Queen, which she takes on her travels around the world.
Millions of litres of Malvern water
were bottled annually under the Schweppes brand in a factory in Colwall
near Malvern and distributed worldwide until the bottling plant was closed as unprofitable by CocaCola Enterprises in November 2010.
Charles Darwin
received an effective treatment from the water procedures here in 1849, and his daughter, Annie died here in 1851, and is buried in Great Malvern.
(private secondary schools) - one for boys, Malvern College
, and one for girls, Malvern Girls' College, now Malvern St James - now remain and rank among the country's foremost independent schools. There are several state controlled or voluntary assisted primary schools in the Great Malvern area, but there are no LEA
secondary schools.
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
, England. It is the historical centre of the town, and the location of the headquarters buildings of the of Malvern Town Council, the governing body of the Malvern civil parish, and Malvern Hills District
Malvern Hills (district)
Malvern Hills is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Malvern, and its area covers most of the western half of the county that borders Herefordshire. It was originally formed in 1974 and was subject to a significant boundary reform in 1998...
council of the county of 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and a number of the town's amenities including the Malvern Theatres complex, a park, a swimming spool, a library, and a large indoor and outdoor sports facility. Positioned at the foot, and partly on the sides, of the Malvern Hills
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
, it is the original main urban centre of the area of Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
that began with the founding of an 11th century priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
. During the 19th century, it became a popular centre for hydroptherapy and swelled to ìnclude the bordering settlements of Barnards Green
Barnards Green
Barnard's Green is one of the main population areas of Malvern, Worcestershire, England, situated approximately downhill from Great Malvern, the town's traditional centre...
, Little Malvern
Little Malvern
Little Malvern is a small village and a civil parish on the lower slopes of the Malvern Hills south of Malvern Wells, near Great Malvern, the major centre of the area often referred to as The Malverns. in Worcestershire, England. It contains a Romanesque church called Little Malvern Priory, after...
, Malvern Link
Malvern Link
Malvern Link is an area of Malvern, Worcestershire, England to the north and east of Great Malvern. The centres of Malvern Link and Great Malvern are separated by Malvern Link Common, an area of open land that is statutorily protected by the Malvern Hills Conservators...
with Link Top
Link Top
Link Top is a locality of Malvern Link, a major population area of the town of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is situated at the western extremity of Malvern Link at its boundary with Great Malvern and North Malvern...
, Malvern Wells
Malvern Wells
Malvern Wells is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England. The parish of Malvern Wells, once known as South Malvern, was formed in 1894 from parts of the civil parishes of Hanley Castle, Welland, and the former parish of Great Malvern, and owes its...
, North Malvern
North Malvern
North Malvern is a suburb of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It nestles on the northern slopes of the Malvern Hills. It is a contiguous urban extension of Link Top, and other neighbouring centres of population are Great Malvern, Malvern Link, West Malvern and the former village of Cowleigh...
, and West Malvern
West Malvern
West Malvern is a village and a civil parish on the west side of the north part of the Malvern Hills at the western edge of Worcestershire, administered by the Malvern Hills District , and part of the informally defined area often referred to as the Malverns...
, and often referred to collectively - along with the hills - as The Malverns. In 1900 the former urban districts and towns of Great Malvern and Malvern Link were merged and form the current (2009) six wards governed by Malvern Town Council.
Location
Great Malvern is approximately 8 miles (12.9 km) south-west of the city of WorcesterWorcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, on the eastern slopes of the Malvern Hills. The altitude of the town ranges from about 50 to 200 metres (164 to 656 feet) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. The River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
runs roughly north-south about 4 miles (6.4 km) to the east of the town.
Town centre
The Malvern Hills give the town a steep incline which can make moving around the town centre relatively difficult, particularly Church Street, one of the two main streets, and its parallel road Edith Walk, formerly a quiet unpaved lane that now provides access to car parks and the town centre's two large supermarkets. The other main street is the perpendicular Bellevue Terrace, a relatively flat extension of the Worcester Road (A449A449 road
The A449 is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs north from junction 24 of the M4 motorway at Newport in South Wales to Stafford in Staffordshire....
).
At the heart of the town is a statue of Edward Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
the composer, who lived in the town. Among the many shops are three supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s Waitrose
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
, Iceland and Somerfield, 66 feet (20.1 m) apart), a W H Smith
W H Smith
WHSmith plc is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It is best known for its chain of high street, railway station, airport, hospital and motorway service station shops selling books, stationery, magazines, newspapers, and entertainment products...
bookshop, Severn Office Supplies, Brays (clothing) a family-owned English men's outfitter established in 1895 and probably the town's oldest surviving retail business. Woolworths
Woolworths Group
Woolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
department store, for almost a century a flagship of the British high street scene, and Malvern's longest existing shop in Church Street finally closed for business on 6 January 2009 due to the 2008 global economic crisis.
In the town is also an extensive Public Library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
that includes access to many community services. Since the construction of the two large supermarkets in the town centre and other parts of Malvern, most of the traditional shops in the town are now tea-rooms, health food shops, specialist cafés and snack bars, banks, building societies
Building society
A building society is a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization. Building societies offer banking and related financial services, especially mortgage lending. These institutions are found in the United Kingdom and several other countries.The term "building society"...
, second-hand book shops, charity shops, law firms and solicitors offices, and a large number of estate agent
Estate agent
An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting or management of properties, and other buildings, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent...
s.
Along the railway line from Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
to Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
is the Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
Great Malvern railway station
Great Malvern railway station
Great Malvern railway station serves the line between Worcester and Hereford. It is situated close to the centre of Great Malvern, England. It is one of two stations serving the town of Malvern, the other being Malvern Link station...
, whose waiting room has been converted to a traditional tearoom. The station is a listed building and is a superb existing example of Victorian railway architecture. It has a private pedestrian tunnel (now derelict) built specially for the guests of the nearby Imperial Hotel which was the town's largest during its heyday as a spa town and resort. In 1893 the building which housed the hotel became the Malvern Girls' College
Malvern Girls' College
Malvern St James is a leading independent school for girls in Great Malvern, Worcestershire, England. Renamed in 2006 from Malvern Girls' College following a succession of amalgamations with other independent schools for girls in the Malvern area, it continues to occupy the same campus as...
now called Malvern St James School.
Governance
As Great Malvern is no longer an area with a clearly defined boundary, it straddles Priory and Chase, two of the six wards of Malvern Town Council. The area governed by the town council is a civil parish in the Malvern Hills DistrictMalvern Hills (district)
Malvern Hills is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Malvern, and its area covers most of the western half of the county that borders Herefordshire. It was originally formed in 1974 and was subject to a significant boundary reform in 1998...
of 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...
.
Great Malvern Priory
Culture and leisure
The Priory Park with its adjoining Malvern Splash pool and Winter Gardens occupies a large area in the centre of the town. The Winter Gardens complex is home to the Malvern Theatre, a leading provincial centre for dramatic arts, a cinema (film theatre), a concert venue/banqueting room, bars and cafeterias.For almost half a century, the Malvern Winter Gardens has also been a major regional venue for classical music, and concerts by legendary rock bands of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In 1998 a £7.2 million major redesign and refurbishment of the Winter Gardens complex took place with the help of contributions from The National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF)
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
, administered by the government Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The Splash Leisure Complex flanks the eastern boundary of Priory Park and has an indoor swimming pool and gymnasium.
Located between the hospital and the Malvern Hills College are the grounds and buildings of the Manor Park Club Multi Sports Complex that provides the Malvern area with extensive indoor and outdoor sports facilities. It is assisted by grants and loans from various bodies, including the Malvern Hills District Council
Malvern Hills (district)
Malvern Hills is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in the town of Malvern, and its area covers most of the western half of the county that borders Herefordshire. It was originally formed in 1974 and was subject to a significant boundary reform in 1998...
, the Sport of England (Lottery) and the Lawn Tennis Association
Lawn Tennis Association
The Lawn Tennis Association is the national governing body of tennis in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.As the governing body, the LTA is responsible for the coaching and development of junior players, offering courses and qualifications on coaching, as well as the...
.
Dramatic arts
The Winter Gardens complex is the home of the Malvern Theatres. The first Malvern Drama Festival was planned by Sir Barry Jackson and took place in 1929 and was dedicated to Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
. Many premiers of works by famous playwrights had their first performances at Malvern, including two by Bernard Shaw. In 1956, on the occasion of the dramatist's 100th birthday, Malvern held a Shaw centenary week.
In February 1965 a Malvern Festival Theatre Trust was set up, and extensive refurbishment was undertaken. J B Priestley presided over the opening ceremony of the first summer season.
Fringe Festival
Great Malvern is the home of one of the oldest Fringe festivalsFringe theatre
Fringe theatre is theatre that is not of the mainstream. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which name comes from Robert Kemp, who described the unofficial companies performing at the same time as the second Edinburgh International Festival as a ‘fringe’, writing: ‘Round the fringe...
in the world. The main events of the Malvern Fringe
Malvern Fringe Festival
The Malvern Fringe Festival is an arts festival which takes place in Great Malvern, England. The main events of the Malvern Fringe Festival are the MayDay and the annual three day festival held in June as a fringe to the Elgar Festival...
are the May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
and the annual three day festival held in June as a fringe to the Elgar Festival. These are accompanied by musical and other live events throughout the year.
Architecture
The town is graced by many examples of Victorian and Edwardian villas and hotels. Many of the houses were built during the Industrial Revolution, and Malvern's boom years as a spa town, by wealthy families from the nearby Birmingham area. Many of the villas have since been converted to apartments, while some of the smaller hotels are now retirement homes.Much architecture and statuary in the town centre is dedicated to Malvern water, including the St. Ann's Well
St. Ann's Well, Malvern
St. Ann's Well is set on the slopes of the Malvern Hills above Great Malvern. It is a popular site on a path leading up to the Worcestershire Beacon and lies on the final descent of the Worcestershire Way....
, which is housed in a building dating from 1815. The drinking spout, Malvhina, by the sculptor Rose Garrard
Rose Garrard
.Rose Garrard is an installation, video and performance artist, sculptor, and author. Her artworks have been acquired by collections worldwide including the New South Wales government Art Gallery in Australia....
, was unveiled on 4 September 1998. The Enigma Fountain, also by Garrard, was unveiled by The Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
in 2000.
Malvern water
The Malvern waterMalvern Water
Malvern water is a natural spring water from the Malvern Hills on the border of the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire in England. The Hills consist of very hard granite and limestone rock. Fissures in the rock retain rain water, which slowly permeates through, escaping at the springs...
became famous for containing "nothing at all". It was the main reason for Malvern becoming a spa town and has formed a part of both local and national culture since Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
made a point of drinking it in public in the 16th century, and Queen Victoria refused to travel without it. It is the only bottled water used by The Queen, which she takes on her travels around the world.
Millions of litres of Malvern water
Malvern Water
Malvern water is a natural spring water from the Malvern Hills on the border of the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire in England. The Hills consist of very hard granite and limestone rock. Fissures in the rock retain rain water, which slowly permeates through, escaping at the springs...
were bottled annually under the Schweppes brand in a factory in Colwall
Colwall
Colwall is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England on the border with Worcestershire, nestling into the side of the Malvern Hills. Areas of the village are known as Colwall Stone, Upper Colwall and Colwall Green along over a mile of the B4218 road...
near Malvern and distributed worldwide until the bottling plant was closed as unprofitable by CocaCola Enterprises in November 2010.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
received an effective treatment from the water procedures here in 1849, and his daughter, Annie died here in 1851, and is buried in Great Malvern.
Education
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries following the decline in Malvern's popularity as a spa town, many private boarding schools were established in Great Malvern, often occupying the premises of former hotels and large villas. Two large public schoolsPublic School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
(private secondary schools) - one for boys, Malvern College
Malvern College
Malvern College is a coeducational independent school located on a 250 acre campus near the town centre of Malvern, Worcestershire in England. Founded on 25 January 1865, until 1992, the College was a secondary school for boys aged 13 to 18...
, and one for girls, Malvern Girls' College, now Malvern St James - now remain and rank among the country's foremost independent schools. There are several state controlled or voluntary assisted primary schools in the Great Malvern area, but there are no LEA
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
secondary schools.
External links
- Town centre map
- Malvern Museum
- Great Malvern Priory - Anglican parish church
- Malvern festival
- Malvern Theatres
- Malvern Library
- Official tourism information
- Malvern Gazette Malvern weekly newspaper