Great Malvern, History and Architecture

Holly Mount Church

Tudor Shambles entrance to Church Walk

Today I took some pictures around Belle Vue Terrace, Church Street and Church Walk, in Great Malvern. Malvern has many churches, almost all of which are made of the same yellowish stone as the pictured Holly Mount, but varying greatly in design, I think because building on a hill causes problems that must be overcome using interesting architecture.

The towns buildings also are very varied, as buildings seem to date from any period in history after and including the Tudor period, for example the building over the entrance to Church walks.

Wrought iron detail above post office.

Although as with all towns, major shop chains attempt to make there store look identical to all it's others, the history still shines out, above the shop fronts and in stained glass windows and wrought iron details, and the odd random column that still survive. My favourite stained glass is the window above the Mount Pleasant Hotels Tea Room, but unfortunately a large van was parked just outside making it impossible to photograph.

As well as the rich architectural history of the town it has played host to many famous characters. I have included the blue badge plaque outside the house which was home to Charles Darwin and his daughter when she was ill. It was her death that spurned Charles to reject the Churches teachings about creation and publish his book explaining his theory of evolution.

Example of one of the stained glass windows above the shops on Belle Vue Terrace

Plaque on Lloyds Bank commemorating Water Treatment

Plaque outside Darwin's home

Plaque on The Unicorn Pub

The Unicorn, Belle Vue Terrace

I also include the blue badge on The Unicorn pub, and a picture of the pub. It is where C.S.Lewis wrote the Chronicles of Narnia. He was inspired by both the local woods on the hills which are dotted with gas lamps, just like the entrance to Narnia, and the actual, "wardrobe" which is actually a door within Malvern Abbey, (see previous blogs for pictures and details).

Tank Hill Quarry, Malvern

Photo 1, Ivy covered tree trunks.

Photo 2.

Photo 3.

 Today I explored a bit more of Tank Hill Quarry. The wood feels magical with its narrow meandering paths, and you have expect to turn a corner and bump into a hobbit. Some of the trees grow straight out of the side of the quarry itself. The picture of the particularly impressively odd trunk and root, (photo 4) is a close up of the tree that bows slightly to the right of photo 3. I had not realised quite how disturbingly phallic photo 4 was, I just thought it was unbelievable that it had managed to root, grow and apparently flourish when it is growing out of a granite quarry wall.

Photo 4, Trunk and root detail.

Hill Found !

Photo with hill, (really)

 A while ago I took two pictures in the fog to show you how the hill had disappeared. Photo 1 that day should have shown the hill. So today as it is nice and bright I went to the same place to re-take the photos. Sadly I then discovered that the hill doesn't seem to show up to well on the panoramic shots. The third photo was taken about two foot from the first and the hill is so much more visable.

View without hill

Hill as seen if photo not panoramic

Ancient Ridge Walk, West Malvern

Gate at Croft Farm onto Ridge walk

 I decided to try and do the ridge walk again, that was what I had been trying to do when I got lost in West Malvern wood last week. I have walked the ridge walk about 16 times, but often wasted quite a lot of time lost in the wood by the park before finding the path to Croft Farm

Had a fantastic idea, I thought, start at the farm end because the gate to the path is easier to find.

View of West Malvern from ridge

View westward across Herefordshire countryside

Tree canopy detail

Muddy Path

Unfortunately this is not a totally me proof plan. There were a few places where the path divided in to several, and so I stuck to the what looked like the main path. When I saw the yew three below I remember thinking, "I never noticed that before." Well that was because I had g\one to far along the wrong path. Not a huge disaster, as the tree with the bracket fungi and the scary looking quarry I had never seen before and were both very beautiful.\

Yew Tree

The woods here are very ancient, as the walk I went on was mentioned in the Domesday book. In particular they were mentioned as there are Service  Trees, which were used in ancient times to make alcohol planted here. Apparently they are still here, though I don't know what they look like so couldn't take a picture,

Tree with bracket fungi

Most dangerous bit of pathway

Quarry sign

A road tree detail

Earl Beauchamps's Fountain

Saint Ann's Well, Malvern Hills.

View across Great Malvern from Rose Garden

One of the "Narnia" gas lamps

Saint Ann's well and  restraunt

 Today I set off from Great Malvern, and via the rose g\arden walk'ed up past Saint Ann's well and up to the top of the Malvern Hill. It snowed again last night and in areas the snow was over my knees, so quite deep. Again I past some of the gas lamps which so inspired C.S.Lewis when writing, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The well 

View from path above Saint Ann's well

View from top of Malvern Hill

West Malvern Community Wood

West Malvern Community Wood, new section.

 A fresh layer of snow has fallen today. It is incredibly beautiful. Went for a walk around West Malvern community woods and park. It is amazing how different a place can look. Fabulous.

The swings and slides did look rather spooky though.

Oak Tree.

West Malvern Park, "avenue"

West Malvern Play Park

C S Lewis, Narnia and Malvern

The Abbey in Great Malvern

 Following on from yesterdays comment I thought I might show you the "wardrobe" that inspired C.S.Lewis when he was writing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The inspiration is said to be the rear door inside the Abbey in Great Malvern. Unfortunately someone has allowed it to be painted an awful pale green colour recently, but you still get the idea. The view through the door however has not altered much and the great fir tree and the gas lamp that led Lucy, Edward, Susan and Peter home is just as described in the book.

The wardrobe door from inside the Abbey.

Wardrobe door from outside.

View of Narnia as seen through the wardrobe door.

Malvern Museum

 I also included a picture of the museum, which is just up the hill from the Abbey, and the statue in the rose garden, which is just a bit further up the hill again. I just think they both look spectacular in the snow.

Statue in the Rose Garden, Great Malvern.