The Buchans 2013: Great Malvern

In mid April we took the caravan to Malvern Hills Caravan Club Site. The site is about 4 miles from Great Malvern which is a small, very hilly town.

Great Malvern lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is a designated a ‘Conservation Area’ in recognition of the special architectural and historic interest of the area.

It is the original main urban centre of the area of Malvern that began with the founding of an 11th century priory. During the 19th century, it became a popular centre for hydrotherapy.

Looking down Church Street

Enigma Fountain with the statue of Edward Elgar and Sue

Looking towards the Priory and Severn Valley

Abbey Gate

Great Malvern station was opened by the Worcester & Hereford Railway in 1860. The buildings are in local Malvern Rag stone and follow a French Gothic theme. A particular feature of the station are the awning pillar capitals. They are decorated with high relief mouldings depicting different arrangements of flowers and foliage.

St. Ann’s Well, situated above the town, has had many celebrated visitors and now the Buchans have been there. The café is best avoided, long story will explain if asked.

Worcester was a short bus ride from the caravan site. We visited it twice the first time we had a walk along the River Severn and then a look around Worcester Cathedral.

Worcester Cathedral viewed through one of its engraved windows.

Worcester Cathedral’s stunning roof.

Morris dancing the Border’s way with blackened faces. There are various theories about why the faces are blackened. One is that the black face tradition derives from earlier forms of the dance involving a Moroccan king and his followers. There is recorded evidence from 1688 of payments in Shrewsbury of 10 shillings to "Ye Bedlam Morris and 2 shillings for Ye King of Morroco".

Friar Street has many ‘Olde Worlde’ buildings, it’s a wonder some of them are still standing looking at the cockeyed beams.

Greyfriars House and Garden are in the same street. It is a late Medieval merchant’s house. It is National Trust so we had a walk round it. Built in 1480, with early 17th and 18th-century additions, this fine timber-framed house was rescued from demolition after the Second World War and has been carefully restored and refurbished.