Malvern Hills
|
Malvern Hills in June, looking north. |
|
June vegetation, shortly after sunrise. |
The
Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the
English counties of
Worcestershire,
Herefordshire and a small area of northern
Gloucestershire. It has been designated by the
Countryside Agency as an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Malvern Hills are a famous beauty spot, with scenic views over both Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The Hills run north/south for about 13
km and overlook the
River Severn valley to the East, with the
Cotswolds beyond. The highest point of the hills is the
Worcestershire Beacon at 425 metres (OS Grid reference SO768452). The hills are famous for their natural mineral springs and wells, and were responsible for the development of
Great Malvern as a
spa in the early
19th century.
There are two passes through the hills, the Wyche cutting (
Wyche means salt) and the
A449 road just north of
Herefordshire Beacon. The Herefordshire Beacon is also known as the
British Camp, as the remains of an
iron age hill fort can be found at the summit.
The Malvern hills are made of some of the most ancient rock in England, mostly igneous and metamorphic rocks from the late
pre-Cambrian, around 600 million years old.
There is a tiny cave near the ridge of the hills called Clutter's Cave (or Giant's Cave or Waum's Cave, after the spring that once lay beneath it).
A list of the hills in their order from north to south is shown below.
| Hill | Elevation (ft)! Elevation (m) | | End Hill | 1,079 ft | 329 m |
| Table Hill | 1,224 ft | 373 m |
| North Hill | 1,303 ft | 397 m |
| Sugarloaf Hill | 1,207 ft | 368 m |
| Worcestershire Beacon | 1,394 ft | 425 m |
| Summer Hill | 1,253 ft | 382 m |
| Perseverance Hill | 1,066 ft | 325 m |
| Jubilee Hill | 1,073 ft | 327 m |
| Pinnacle Hill | 1,174 ft | 358 m |
| Black Hill (north) | 1,011 ft | 308 m |
| Black Hill (south) | 886 ft | 270 m |
| Herefordshire Beacon (British Camp) | 1,109 ft | 338 m |
| Millennium Hill | 1,073 ft | 327 m |
| Broad Down | 958 ft | 292 m |
| Hangman's Hill | 906 ft | 276 m |
| Swinyard Hill | 889 ft | 271 m |
| Midsummer Hill | 932 ft | 284 m |
| Hollybush Hill | 794 ft | 242 m |
| Raggedstone Hill (east top) | 820 ft | 250 m |
| Raggedstone Hill (west top) | 833 ft | 254 m |
| Chase End Hill | 625 ft | 191 m |
A good
panorama of the length of the hills can be seen from the
M5 Motorway, particularly between Junction 7
Worcester (south) and Junction 9
Tewkesbury .
Traditionally the line down the spine of the hills has formed the county boundary between Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
In 1884 the
Malvern Hills Conservators were established through act of Parliament to preserve the natural aspect of the hills and protect them from encroachments.
The Malvern Hills were the inspiration and setting for the famous
14th Century poem
The Visions of Piers Plowman by
William Langland.
English composer
Edward Elgar, who was from the area, often walked, cycled, and reportedly flew kites on these hills. He wrote a
cantata in
1898 entitled
Caractacus, which employs the popular legend of his last stand at British Camp. In 1934, during the composer's final illness, he told a friend: "If ever after I'm dead you hear someone whistling this tune (the opening theme of his
cello concerto) on the Malvern Hills, don't be alarmed. It's only me."
The poet
W.H. Auden taught for three years at the
Downs School,
Colwall, in the Malvern Hills. He spent three years at the school in the
1930s and wrote some of his finest early love poems there, including:
This Lunar Beauty;
Let Your Sleeping Head;
My Love, Fish in the Unruffled Lakes; and
Out on the Lawn I Lie in Bed. He also wrote a long poem about the hills and their views, called simply
The Malverns.
*
Malvern Hills Conservators*
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England*
Malvern Hills District Council*
Malvern Hills AONB Website*
The Malvern Hills at BBC Hereford & Worcester
*
Malvern Hills Trail*
Geology of the Malvern Hills
