Malvern, Worcestershire

Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England (coordinates 52°06′28.51″N 2°19′30.22″W). It includes the settlements of Great Malvern, Malvern Link, Malvern Wells, West Malvern, Little Malvern and North Malvern. The civil parish has a population of 28,749 (2001 census).

Malvern is in the area governed by Malvern Hills District Council and lies adjacent to the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The medieval poem Piers Plowman begins on the Malvern hillside. Starting from the Middle Ages, Malvern was the site of a Benedictine monastery which first arose in 1085 from a hermitage endowed by Edward the Confessor, of which, beside Malvern Priory church, part survives as Malvern Museum. This building dates back to about 1470. Back in the 12th Century Walcher (the second Prior of Malvern) was a notable astronomer and mathematician - his gravestone inside the priory church records this fact.

Malvern is a famous spa, known for its bottled water since 1622. Dr. James Manby Gully made the "water cure" popular in the early 19th century. Several hotels in Great Malvern date from the hey-day of Malvern as a residential spa.

During World War II, Malvern was the location to which the UK government was partially evacuated in case of need. During this time, it also became the home of Telecommunications Research Establishment, renowned for its role in the history of radar. It has been said that World War II was won on the playing fields of Malvern, home of the cavity magnetron. TRE no longer exists in Malvern - it was superseded by RSRE which was privatised in 2001 to become QinetiQ - and is a major source of local employment.

C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien used to walk on the Malvern Hills. The story goes that, after drinking in a Malvern pub one winter evening, they were walking home when it started to snow. They saw a lamp post shining out through the snow and Lewis turned to his friends and said "that would make a very nice opening line to a book". And so it did.

The Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, spent some of his exile here, in the Abbey Hotel. The Three Counties Showground near Malvern hosts an annual agricultural show in June, and regular Royal Horticultural Society Gardening Shows. Malvern is home to two famous public schools, Malvern College and Malvern Girls College. Jeremy Paxman, Denholm Elliott, Barbara Cartland and Aleister Crowley went to school here.

There is an Elgar Trail around Malvern and the surrounding area. A statue of Elgar stands gazing over the town from Belle Vue terrace, and several roads in the town are named after him.

Malvern is the largest town in the parliamentary constituency of West Worcestershire. As of May 2005 it is represented by Sir Michael Spicer.

Famous people

• Thomas Attwood, British economist and campaigner for electoral reform, died in Malvern, on 9th March 1859.
• Charles Darwin's daughter is buried in the graveyard of Malvern Priory.
• C. S. Lewis, Pupil at Malvern College.
• Jenny Lind in Great Malvern Cemetery.
• Graeme Hick currently resides in the Malvern area

The final word on Peter Roget is committed to stone in the graveyard of St James, West Malvern. Famous British violinist Nigel Kennedy also lived in (West) Malvern for a while. British composer Edward Elgar taught in Great Malvern and much of his work was influenced by the Malvern Hills. Elgar is buried at St. Wulstan's, Little Malvern.

• Mike Roskams Great football player, ski-er, comedian, and multi-talented young lad currently resides in Malvern.

Barnards Green Cricket Club.

General view of Great Malvern, with North Hill in background.

Detail of buildings and shops in Great Malvern.

Great Malvern Priory.

External links

• Barnards Green Cricket Club
• Malvern Gazette Local Malvern weekly newspaper
• Malvern Hills District Council
• Worcestershire County Council
• Malvern Museum
• Malvern Linux Users Group
• Malvern Fringe Festival
• The Malvern Gazelle A Savage Look at the Soft Underbelly of Small Town Life