Discover Malvern, Worcestershire

View of the Abbey Gateway in Malvern, Worcestershire: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christmas_fair_by_the_Abbey_Gateway_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1598927.jpg
Author: Bob Embleton


Malvern is a spa town in Malvern Hills district, on the southwestern part of Worcestershire, England. The town has a population of around 30,000 people (2012 estimate).

Human habitation in the Malvern Hills has been traced back to the Bronze Age, around 1000 BC, based on discovery of boundary earthwork from that period. The area was inhabited by the La Tène people around 250 BC; money bars of their culture were discovered here in the 19th century. A site of extensive Iron Age earthworks on the summit of the Malvern Hills is called the British Camp.

Little is known of Malvern during the Roman and Anglo Saxon periods of British history, and ancient folklore linking warfare between the ancient Britons agains the Romans in the area has not been backed by documentation or archaeological evidence.

Malvern reappeared in the Norman period, when the Malvern priory was mentioned. It is said to have existed before the Norman Conquest, meaning there is a continuity of human activity in the area going to the Anglo Saxon period, but details have remained somewhat sketchy today. The Saxon Earl Harold Godwinson built a motte-and-bailey castle over the earthworks of the British Camp. It was destroyed by King Henry II in 1155.

Great Malvern Priory: Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Malvern_Priory.JPG
Author: Daderot


The Normans founded a Benedictine monastery in Malvern in the 11th century. Remains of it became part of present-day Great Malvern Priory. The Dissolution of the Monasteries brought incredible upheavels to the monastery, and Malvern Priory survived only through acquisition by one William Pinnocke. Apart from the church building and the Abbey Gateway, the rest of the monastic complex was demolished and anything usable was sold off.

The therapeutic properties of the spring water in Malvern was first recognized in 1612. It paved the way for the town to become a spa. Various physicians and recognized authorities heaped praise on Malvern water, boosting its popularity. As a result the water of Malvern was being bottled and shipped. Patients from all over England came to Malvern for hydrotheraphy, among them the Duchess of Teck, Charles Darwin, Florence Nightingale and Queen Adelaide.

The popularity of hydrotherapy declined towards the end of the 19th century, forcing Malvern to reinvent itself. It reemerged as a center for education. Many of its spa hotels were converted into private boarding schools. Today the town has modernized, its economy supported by manufacturing, agriculture, horticulture and service industries.

British Camp, Malvern Hills: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:British_camp_central_mound_2005.jpg
Author: Spoonfrog

Visiting Malvern

From London, take the M40 motorway, continuing on the M42 heading west and then the M5 heading south. Exit the M5 at Junction 7. then continue west on the A4440 until you reach the roundabout with the A449. Continue south on the A449 until arriving in Malvern.

Places of Interest in Malvern

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