- Great Malvern
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- This article relates to the town centre of Malvern. For in-depth treatment see Malvern, Worcestershire.
Coordinates: 52°07′N 2°20′W / 52.11°N 2.33°W
Great Malvern 
View of the junction of Church Street and Bellevue Terrace in Great Malvern, the town centre of Malvern, with North Hill in background, and the Elgar Enigma statue to the left.
Great Malvern
Great Malvern shown within WorcestershireOS grid reference SO786459 District Malvern Hills Shire county Worcestershire Region West Midlands Country England Sovereign state United Kingdom Post town MALVERN Postcode district WR14 Dialling code 01684 Police West Mercia Fire Hereford and Worcester Ambulance West Midlands EU Parliament West Midlands UK Parliament West Worcestershire List of places: UK • England • Worcestershire 
View over Great Malvern at sunrise
Malvinha Fountain on Belle Vue Island not far from Elgar's statue and the Enigma FountainGreat 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.[1][2]
Contents
Location
Great Malvern is approximately 8 miles (13 km) south-west of the city of Worcester, 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.
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 (A449).
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 supermarkets Waitrose, Iceland and Somerfield, 66 feet (20 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.[citation needed] 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.[3]
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 agents.[citation needed]
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.
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 District of Worcestershire.
Great Malvern Priory
Main article: Great Malvern PrioryThe 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.
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,[4] 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), 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[5] 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.
Dramatic arts
The Winter Gardens complex is the home of the Malvern Theatres. The first Malvern Drama Festival[6] was planned by Sir Barry Jackson and took place in 1929 and was dedicated to Bernard Shaw. 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 festivals 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.
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, which is housed in a building dating from 1815.[7][8] 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.[9]
Malvern water
Main article: Malvern waterThe Malvern water 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.[10] 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.[11]
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.
Education
Main article: Malvern, Worcestershire#EducationIn 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 schools (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.
See also
- Great Malvern Tornado of 1761
Further reading
- Brian Smith (1978) A History of Malvern ISBN 0-904387-313
References
- ^ "Malvern Town Council official web site". http://www.malverntowncouncil.org/. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ "All about local councils" (PDF). National Association of Local Councils. 2008. http://www.nalc.gov.uk/Document/Download.aspx?uid=7c9b260f-6692-4a11-ba3d-01fd02eb8253. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ Malvern Gazette "Public want retail at former-Woolies store". Malvern Gazette (Newsquest Media Group). 9 January 2009. http://www.malverngazette.co.uk/news/local/4034501.Public_want_retail_at_former_Woolies_store/ Malvern Gazette. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ "Malvern Theatre web site". http://www.malvern-theatres.co.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ "Manor Park Club Multi Sports Complex". http://www.manorparkmalvern.com. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ "History of Malvern Theatres". http://www.malvern-theatres.co.uk/history/. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ "St Ann's Well Café". http://www.hillsarts.co.uk/stannswell/. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ St Ann's Well. Ordnance Survey ref.: SO7745
- ^ "Water feature taking shape". Malvern Gazette (Newsquest Media Group). 4 July 2000. http://www.malverngazette.co.uk/archive/2000/07/04/Worcestershire+Archive/7796423.Water_feature_taking_shape/. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ "Taking the waters in Malvern". BBC Hereford and Worcester. June 2003. http://www.bbc.co.uk/herefordandworcester/features/malverns/new_malverns_water.shtml. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ^ Connell, James (21 October 2010). "Coca-Cola pulls the plug on Malvern Water". Malvern Gazette (Newsquest Media Group). http://www.malverngazette.co.uk/news/8464786.Coca_Cola_pulls_the_plug_on_Malvern_Water/. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
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
Areas of Malvern, Worcestershire Barnards Green · Cowleigh · Great Malvern · Hall Green · Howsel (Lower) · Howsel (Upper) · Link Top · Little Malvern · Malvern Link · Malvern Wells · Newland · North Malvern · Poolbrook · Pound Bank · Sherrard's Green · West Malvern · Wyche (Lower) · Wyche (Upper)Categories:- Malvern, Worcestershire
- Towns in Worcestershire
- Spa towns in England
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