Where?
Great Malvern shelters on the steep eastern slopes of the
Malvern Hills that soar from the broad vale of the River Severn to
the rolling redlands of Herefordshire.
Why?
The landscape that inspired Sir Edward Elgar spans wooded
limestone ridges, a patchwork of fields and farmlands, wild
bracken, and golden gorse. It is wonderful walking and cycling
country, and has plenty of attractive towns and villages to
explore.
What to see
Thanks to the carriage-driving Victorians who developed
routes in the heyday of the Spa, access to the Malvern Hills is
easiest around Great Malvern. At the centre of town, a bronze
statue of Elgar looks out over panoramic vistas of the Severn
Valley.
Norman pillars from 1085 line the nave of Malvern Priory, its
soft pink and grey-green stone warmed by light pouring through
medieval stained-glass windows - said to be the finest collection
in Britain after that of York Minster. More than 1100 medieval
wall-tiles curve behind the high altar.
The small but involving Malvern Museum of Local History is
housed in the 15th-century Priory Gatehouse, while the modern
Malvern Theatres leads out on to Priory Park, where the Swan Pool
was originally the monastic fishpond. The park was landscaped for
the wealthy Victorian visitors who came for the "water cure". It
was a place to promenade among rare trees, such as the tall tulip
tree and thorny Judas, the prettily leaved gingko and the
handkerchief tree.
With its ornate ironwork and fancy metal decorations, Great
Malvern railway station was built to impress the gentry on their
arrival at the spa town. On the platform, Lady Foley's Tea Room,
complete with stained-glass windows, occupies the former private
waiting-room of a local benefactor. Even for weary commuters, this
is one railway station well worth seeing.
Where to eat and drink
Converted from a row of cottages on Bank Street, the
Nag's Head pub features a huge range of malts and beers, and serves
hearty home-made food. The Cottage in the Wood hotel in Malvern
Wells offers spectacular views and stylish menus from its aptly
named Outlook restaurant.
Near by
In a little house at Broadheath, nine miles from Malvern,
is the Elgar Birthplace Museum. He was born there on 2 June 1857,
and it looks out towards his beloved Malvern Hills. You can see the
desk where he worked, laid out as he used it.
Next door, the modern Elgar Centre displays a wonderful
collection of Elgar's manuscripts, music scores, letters, concert
programmes, photographs, drawings, personal possessions, and
honours that he received. It reveals much about the man, his music,
and the people who inspired him.