The Malvern Hills are a selection of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a little area of north Gloucestershire, dominating the encompassing country and the cities and towns of the district of Malvern.The highest peak of the hills affords a panorama of the Severn valley with the hills of Herefordshire and the Welsh mountains, parts of thirteen counties, the Bristol Channel, and the churches of Worcester, Gloucester and Hereford.The Malvern Hills have been chosen by the Country Agency as an Area of Excellent Natural Beauty, which is the most well-liked free visitor attraction in the West Midlands.In 2006 Worcestershire County Council was given £770,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund for restoration work and preservation of the area.
Management of the hills are the responsibility of the Malvern Hills Conservators.The Malvern Hills are a part of an Area of Superb Natural Beauty, with scenic perspectives over both Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The Hills run north / south for roughly eight miles ( thirteen km ), between Great Malvern and the town of Colwall, and overlook the Brook Severn valley to the east, with the Cotswolds beyond. The top most point of the hills is Worcestershire Beacon at 425 metres ( 1,394 ft ) above sea level ( OS Grid reference SO768452 ).
The hills are renowned for their natural mineral springs and wells, which were accountable for the development of Great Malvern as a spa in the early 19th century.June foliage, right after sunrise.Malvern water is bottled commercially on a giant scale and sold globally. There are 3 passes over the hills, the Wyche cutting, the A438 road north of Raggedstone hill and the A449 road just north of the Herefordshire Beacon, the location of the English Camp, an Iron Age hill fort at the very top of the hill. The site is thought to date back before the Common Time and has been extended afterwards by a medieval castle.
The in depth earthworks remain obviously detectable today and decide the form of the hill. The Malvern Hills were the foundation and setting for the famous 14th century poem The Visions of Piers Plowman ( 1362 ) by William Langland. The earliest poetical reference to the Malvern Hills happens in the poem And on a Maye mornynge on Malverne hylles. William Langland, the reputed writer, was probably educated at the monastery of Great Malvern.
English composer Edward Elgar, who was from the area, regularly walked, cycled, and allegedly flew kites on these hills. He wrote a cantata in 1898 titled Caractacus, which alludes to the well-liked legend of his last stand at UK Camp. In 1934, in the composer's last sickness, he told a buddy : "If ever after I am dead you hear somebody whistling this tune the opening theme of his cello concerto] on the Malvern Hills, do not be alarmed. It's only me." Composers Herbert Howells and Ivor Gurney used to take good walks together thru the close by Cotswold Hills and the natural wonder of the area, including the magnificent perspectives of the Malverns, was a surpassing inspiration for their music.