Malvern

Malvern is a spa town in Worcestershire at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The oldest parts of the town can be seen around the Priory Church, which was founded in 1085, when Benedictine monks settled here. The centre of Malvern, Great Malvern, is a historic conservation area, which grew dramatically in Victorian times due to natural mineral water springs. Malvern spring water still flows freely from a number of fountains or spouts throughout the Malvern area. George Bernard Shaw and Edward Elgar brought Malvern into the 20th Century with their music and theatre festivals held in the Winter Gardens. The Winter Gardens complex is now home to the Malvern Theatres, a cinema, a concert venue/banqueting room, bars and cafeterias. Malvern today has still-working gas lamps, stunning views of the Severn Valley, exciting music and theatre with bookshops, antique dealers, furniture, fashion and food. Malvern attracts many artists and craftspeople, so you will find some delightful works on show and in shops and galleries. The Worcestershire Way long-distance footpath runs 31 miles from Bewdley to Great Malvern.