The Abbey Hotel, Great Malvern, will be our base for the Autumn Meeting running, not over a weekend, but from Monday 21st to Wednesday 23rd September. This has allowed us to secure accommodation and meals at this heavily booked up hotel (sited literally next door to Great Malvern Priory) at reasonable rates. Malvern is readily accessible by train, but the hotel has ample free parking and it is hoped that sufficient number of members will arrive by car so that we can offer lifts to and from the dramatically sited hillfort, variously known as The British Camp or The Worcestershire Beacon, sited at the western end of the Malvern Hills, just a few miles from Great Malvern. This visit will be our final destination on Wednesday morning returning to Malvern by midday. Whilst the energetic may wish to cover the whole site on its well-marked pathways, there is s8ll plenty to see at a more leisurely pace from the adjacent car park.
Assembling by 2pm on Monday we will then have guided tours in small groups by knowledgeable members of The Friends of Malvern Priory. The Priory is noted for its medieval stained glass, its tiles and its magnificent blend of Norman and later medieval architecture. The small museum in the Priory Gatehouse will be opened specially for us. Our evening talk will explore Malvern’s long history of healing wells and water cures with a talk by local author Cora Weaver, author of many books on the subject.
We have a full day planned for Tuesday, leaving by coach for The Firs, Elgar’s birthplace, for a private visit booked with the National Trust. Then to Upton-on Severn, a welcome from the local Tourist Information guide at The Pepperpot and lunch at a riverside pub. Then a visit to the delightfully eclectic collections in the 16th century buildings housing the Tudor House Museum, which is run by volunteers. Finally, a short visit to Croome Park, again National Trust, where one could easily spend the day. There members can set off on a brisk walk to see at least some of the park, Capability Brown’s first commission, or take a shorter walk to the church with its stunning collection of aristocratic funerary monuments or have tea at The Visitor Centre in the renovated RAF Defford buildings which have a fascinating exhibition on Defford and the Malvern area’s important WWII ‘secret’ history.
On Wednesday morning we will visit what is acknowledged to be one of the most stunning hillforts of the area appreciated of course by archaeologists but also, from the beginnings of ‘tourism’ in the 18th century, for its views from this end of the Malvern Hills. Returning from the British Camp some members may wish to ascend the steps opposite the hotel to St Anne’s Well. The meeting ends midday and it may seem a startling omission that we do not have a walking tour of Malvern in the Programme. Well worth it but it’s a hillside town and the streets are steep! If there is sufficient interest and members may want to stay on, I am prepared to organise a walking tour on Wednesday afternoon finishing around 4pm.
Enquiries (and booking requests) to be sent to Heather James: h.james443@gmail.com