77-609: Malvern Hills is a local government district in Worcestershire , England . Its council is based in Malvern , the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Tenbury Wells and Upton-upon-Severn and a large rural area covering much of the western side of the county, including numerous villages. The district is named after the Malvern Hills , which are a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The district
154-529: A biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest , and by Natural England as National Character Area 103 and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . Management of the area is the responsibility of the Malvern Hills Trust . The name Malvern is first attested in a charter of around 1030, as Mælfern , and then in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Malferna . The name derives from
231-471: A cantata in 1898 entitled Caractacus , which alludes to 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 [from his Cello Concerto ] on the Malvern Hills, don't be alarmed, it's only me." Composers Herbert Howells and Ivor Gurney used to take long walks together through
308-506: A 500-acre (2.0 km ) estate near the Malvern Hills in Ledbury , Herefordshire. Her time at Hope End would inspire her in later life to write Aurora Leigh . In Early British Trackways Alfred Watkins theorised that a ley line passed along the Malvern Hills through several wells including St Ann's Well, Holy Well , Walms Well and St. Pewtress Well. Interest in Watkin's theories subsided in
385-598: A dry period. The Malvern Hills have been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by Natural England and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by the Countryside Agency (now Natural England). Features of the Malvern Hills AONB include wide areas of acid grassland and heath on the summit and mixed broadleaved woodland and Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland on the lower hills and valleys. There are three areas of Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland in
462-518: A key role in ensuring that the area of the AONB is larger than that originally proposed. The AONB Partnership work together to conserve and enhance the Malvern Hills AONB. The Partnership has a formal structure including representatives from private and public enterprises, officers from local authorities, the Countryside Agency and the Malvern Hills Conservators. The Malvern Hills are home to
539-455: A level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government . As the structure of local government in England is not uniform, there are currently four principal types of district-level subdivision. There are a total of 296 districts made up of 36 metropolitan boroughs , 32 London boroughs , 164 two-tier non-metropolitan districts and 62 unitary authorities , as well as
616-484: A natural means of scrub management and restore several water features. The project was spearheaded by the Malvern Hills AONB Service, in partnership with Worcestershire County Council, Herefordshire Council, Malvern Hills Conservators, Malvern Spa Association, English Nature , Countryside Agency, National Trust and English Heritage . Members of the public were concerned that by erecting temporary fences on
693-585: A panorama of the Severn Valley , the hills of Herefordshire and the Welsh mountains, parts of thirteen counties, the Bristol Channel , and the cathedrals of Worcester, Gloucester and Hereford. They are known for their spring water – initially from holy wells , and later the spa town of Great Malvern , which led to the production of the modern bottled drinking water. The Malvern Hills have been designated as
770-414: A shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. A shadow authority was again elected in 1997 ahead of the significant district boundary changes which came into effect on 1 April 1998. Political control of the district council since 1974 has been as follows: The leaders of the council since 2000 have been: Following the 2023 election the composition of
847-457: A single district, but have non-metropolitan county councils with no district council. In practice, these function in the same way as other unitary authorities. Berkshire is unusual, being the only non-metropolitan county, with no county council, that has more than one unitary authority district within it, each of which is not a county. The 32 London boroughs are sub-divisions of Greater London . They were established in 1965. Between 1965 and 1986
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#1732852875602924-465: A site closer to the river Severn. There is therefore no evidence that Roman presence ended the prehistoric settlement at British Camp. However, excavations at nearby Midsummer Hillfort , Bredon Hill and Croft Ambrey all show evidence of violent destruction around the year 48 AD. This may suggest that the British Camp was abandoned or destroyed around the same time. During the medieval period,
1001-453: A two-tier non-metropolitan county of Worcestershire. The parishes from Malvern Hills district which had been the rural districts of Bromyard and Ledbury prior to 1974 were transferred to the new Herefordshire authority, whilst the parishes which had been the old Tenbury Rural District were added to Malvern Hills District from the abolished Leominster District. As such the boundary between Worcestershire and Herefordshire as re-established in 1998
1078-638: A two-tier structure of government existed in Greater London and the boroughs shared power with the Greater London Council (GLC). When the GLC was abolished in 1986 they gained similar status to the unitary authorities. In 2000 the Greater London Authority was established and a two-tier structure was restored, albeit with a change to the balance of powers and responsibilities. Each London borough
1155-418: A wide range of outdoor sports and leisure activities, including walking, mountain biking, horse riding, orienteering, hang-gliding, paragliding, model aircraft flying, fishing, climbing and diving. The Worcestershire Way is a waymarked long-distance trail located within the county of Worcestershire . It runs 50 km (31 miles) from Bewdley to Great Malvern . It is an important recreation resource in
1232-410: Is a tiny, man-made cave near the ridge of the hills called Clutter's Cave (or Giant's Cave or Hermit's Cave or Waum's Cave, after Walm's Well which is located on the boundary of News Wood below). The cave has been excavated into pillow lavas . Some of the rounded 'pillow' shapes are still visible around the entrance to the cave. The quality of Malvern water is attributable to its source. The rocks of
1309-539: Is almost identical to the pre-1974 boundary, the only exception being a small area containing Park Wood which had been transferred from Mathon to West Malvern in 1986 and so went to Malvern District and Worcestershire rather than Herefordshire. Following the boundary changes in 1998, the hills after which the district is named now lie principally along its western edges. Malvern Hills District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Worcestershire County Council . The whole district
1386-507: Is buried in Great Malvern cemetery. The Malvern Hills were the inspiration and setting for the famous 14th-century poem The Visions of Piers Plowman (1362) by William Langland , who was possibly educated at the priory of Great Malvern. The earliest poetical allusion to the Malvern Hills occurs in the poem: " And on a Maye mornynge on Malverne hylles ". The poet W. H. Auden taught for three years at The Downs School , Colwall , in
1463-415: Is covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. Since 2014 the council has shared a chief executive and other staff with neighbouring Wychavon District Council . The council has been under no overall control since 2019. Since 2020 the administration has been a coalition of the independents and Greens. The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as
1540-575: Is famous for its fishing and runs across the northern half of the district, from Tenbury Wells , to its confluence with the River Severn near Worcester , close to the site of the Battle of Worcester . Historically, the Teme Valley was famous for its orchards and hop yards, though these declined during the second half of the 20th century, with some revival since c. 2000 . The River Severn forms
1617-493: Is responsible for many of the services within their area, such as schools, waste management, planning applications, social services, libraries and others . Malvern Hills AONB The Malvern Hills are in the English counties of Worcestershire , Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire , dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern . The highest summit affords
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#17328528756021694-589: Is the centre of a circular alignment he called the "Circle of Perpetual Choirs" and is equidistant from Glastonbury , Stonehenge , Goring-on-Thames and Llantwit Major . The theory was investigated by the British Society of Dowsers and used as background material by Phil Rickman in his novel The Remains of an Altar (2006). "Malvern Hills" is the third short story in Japanese-English author Kazuo Ishiguro 's collection Nocturnes (2009). The legend of
1771-618: The A38 road between Tewkesbury and Malvern. The AONB has four railway stations inside or very close to its boundary: Malvern Link , Great Malvern , Colwall and Ledbury . These railway stations lie on the Cotswolds & Malverns Line which operates between Oxford via Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street to Hereford . Direct trains to the area are available from Birmingham Snow Hill or Birmingham New Street and London Paddington . Several local bus services connect Malvern with
1848-521: The City of London and the Isles of Scilly which are also districts but do not correspond to any of these other categories. Some districts are styled as cities , boroughs or royal boroughs ; these are purely honorific titles and do not alter the status of the district or the powers of their councils. All boroughs and cities (and a few districts) are led by a mayor who in most cases is a ceremonial figure elected by
1925-457: The Common Brittonic words that survive in modern Welsh as moel ("bare") and bryn ("hill"); thus it once meant "bare hill". The name perhaps applied originally to the hill now called Worcester Beacon, after which Great Malvern was then named; Great Malvern in turn then gave its name to the whole range of hills beside which it lies. The name Malvern Hills is first attested in
2002-509: The Council House on Avenue Road in Malvern. It was built between 1874 and 1880 as a house. It later served as a school from 1909 until 1925, when it was bought by the former Malvern Urban District Council and converted to become their headquarters, passing to Malvern Hills District Council on its creation in 1974. The Malvern Hills themselves form the border between, and offer scenic views over,
2079-499: The County of London . The setting-down of the current structure of districts in England began in 1965, when Greater London and its 32 London boroughs were created. They are the oldest type of district still in use. In 1974, metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan counties (also known as " shire counties ") were created across the rest of England and were split into metropolitan districts and non-metropolitan districts . The status of
2156-410: The ' Shire Ditch ', a late Bronze Age boundary earthwork possibly dating from around 1000 BC, was constructed along part of the crest of the hills near the site of later settlements. The Wyche Cutting, a mountain pass through the hills was in use in prehistoric times as part of the salt route from Droitwich to South Wales. A 19th-century discovery of over two hundred metal money bars suggests that
2233-488: The 1800s. In 1884, the Malvern Hills Conservators were established through an Act of Parliament to preserve the natural aspect of the hills and protect them from encroachments. However, by this time large-scale quarrying had already begun. Quarry works were set in motion in the 1870s at Tank Quarry and at Little Malvern by Pyx Granite Company. The Hills Conservators lobbied parliament to pass an Act limiting
2310-517: The 1930s but saw a revival in the late 1960s. In The Ley Hunter's Companion (1979) Paul Devereux theorised that a 10-mile alignment he called the "Malvern Ley" passed through St Ann's Well, the Wyche Cutting , a section of the Shire Ditch , Midsummer Hill, Whiteleaved Oak , Redmarley D'Abitot and Pauntley. In City of Revelation (1973) British author John Michell theorised that Whiteleaved Oak
2387-559: The AONB were also renovated. The Malvern Hills Trust is the working name for the Malvern Hills Conservators and manages most parts of the Hills and the surrounding Commons, some other parcels of land and many roadside verges. They were established in 1884 and are governed by five Acts of Parliament , the Malvern Hills Acts 1884, 1909, 1924, 1930 and 1995. They are a voluntary body of twenty-nine members. Eleven are directly elected under
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2464-585: The AONB. The Geopark Way is a 175 km (109 miles) long-distance trail which runs from Bridgnorth to Gloucester and passes through the Abberley and Malvern Hills Geopark. The route was devised to highlight geology, landscape and associated heritage. The Malvern Hills Geocentre is located halfway along the Geopark Way , at the Wyche . This official visitor centre gives more information on interactive iPads about
2541-557: The Countryside Agency to take the temperature of rural tourism in the wake of the crisis. In 2006, Worcestershire County Council was awarded £770,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund for restoration work and preservation of the area by fitting cattle grids to roads across the Hills and encouraging local landowners to allow sheep to wander across their land. As part of the Malvern Heritage Project nine water features within
2618-769: The Local Elections ( Principal areas ) Rules by the residents of the wards who contribute to the Conservators' funds through a levy in their Council Tax , seventeen are appointed by local authorities and one by the Church Commissioners . The total area under their jurisdiction is over 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres). The Malvern Hills were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1959. The designation covers 105 square kilometres (41 sq mi) and includes parts of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. The Malvern Hills Conservators played
2695-455: The London boroughs and metropolitan districts changed in 1986, when they absorbed the functions and some of the powers of the metropolitan county councils and the Greater London Council , which were abolished. Since 2000, powers are again shared (on a different basis) with the Greater London Authority . During the 1990s a further kind of district was created, the unitary authority , which combined
2772-646: The Malvern Hills SSSI: Hollybush Roughs between the boundary of Castlemorton Common and the Midsummer Hill fort, Park Wood in West Malvern and an area near Holy Well above Malvern Wells . Key AONB species include dormouse , barbastelle , skylark , high brown fritillary butterfly , great crested newt , adder and black poplar . Flint axes, arrowheads, and flakes found in the area are attributed to early Bronze Age settlers, and
2849-476: The Malvern Hills and decided that there were enough facilities in the immediate area and that St Ann's Well cafe should be enough provision on the hills, so the application to rebuild was turned down. In 2000, a £1.3 million project to reintroduce grazing animals to the Malvern Hills and restore part of its historic network of water spouts was given significant backing of National Lottery funds. The Malverns Heritage Project aimed to reintroduce grazing animals as
2926-448: The Malvern Hills are amongst the oldest and hardest found in England; the geology is responsible for the quality of Malvern's spring water. The hills consist of Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rock , the oldest of which are about 670 million years old. The rocks are characterised by low porosity and high secondary permeability via fissures. Malvern water is rainwater and snow meltwater that percolates through fissures created by
3003-438: The Malvern Hills the Conservators would be straying from their core duty of keeping the Malvern Hills unenclosed as open spaces for the recreation and enjoyment of the public. Although the conservation officer said any enclosures would be small and temporary there were worries that leisure activities that could be affected and that "the feeling of freedom associated with 'just being' on the Malvern Hills" could be lost. In 2001,
3080-461: The Malvern Hills were officially closed to the public for the first time in history. Walkers were told to avoid the area as part of the effort to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease . As a result of the closure the economy of the Malvern Hills faced serious damage. In 2002 the Malvern Hills were named the most popular free tourist attraction in the West Midlands in a survey commissioned by
3157-554: 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"; "Lay Your Sleeping Head, My Love" ('Lullaby'); "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 . J.R.R. Tolkien found inspiration in
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3234-567: The Malvern landscape which he had viewed from his childhood home in Birmingham and his brother Hilary's home near Evesham . He was introduced to the area by C. S. Lewis , who had brought him here to meet George Sayer , the Head of English at Malvern College . Sayer had been a student of Lewis, and became his biographer, and together with them Tolkien would walk the Malvern Hills. Recordings of Tolkien reading excerpts from The Hobbit and The Lord of
3311-620: The Rings were made in Malvern in 1952, at the home of George Sayer. The recordings were later issued on long-playing gramophone records . In the liner notes for J.R.R. Tolkien Reads and Sings his The Hobbit & The Fellowship of the Ring , George Sayer wrote that Tolkien would relive the book as they walked and compared parts of the Malvern Hills to the White Mountains of Gondor . The poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning spent her childhood at Hope End ,
3388-508: The Shadow of the Ragged Stone, a shadow appearing to arise from the hilltop under particular meteorological conditions said to bring ill-fortune to those on whom it falls, features in many literary sources. It is the subject of the novel "The Shadow of the Ragged Stone" by Charles F. Grindrod, which tells the story of a monk who in punishment for breaking his vow of chastity was compelled to crawl up
3465-723: The Wyche cutting, the A438 road north of Raggedstone Hill and the A449 road just north of the Herefordshire Beacon , the site of the British Camp , an Iron Age hillfort at the top of the hill, subsequently extended by a medieval castle . The extensive earthworks remain clearly visible today and determine the shape of the hill. The Malvern Hills are formed of some of the most ancient rocks in England, mostly igneous and metamorphic rocks from
3542-600: The area had been inhabited by the La Tène people around 250 BC. Ancient folklore has it that the British chieftain Caractacus made his last stand against the Romans at the British Camp , a site of extensive Iron Age earthworks on a summit of the Malvern Hills close to where Malvern was to be later established. The story remains disputed, however, as Roman historian Tacitus implies
3619-458: The area has been recognised for many years with 13 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and 179 Local Geological Sites (LGS) present. The A449 road runs through the centre of Malvern, connecting it to Worcester and Ledbury . The M5 motorway to the east of Malvern is accessible at junctions 7 and 8. The M50 (also known as the Ross Spur ) to the south can be accessed at junction 1 on
3696-452: The backdrop for Penda's Fen , a 1974 British television play written by David Rudkin and directed by Alan Clarke for the BBC's Play for Today series. It tells the story of Stephen, a pastor's son who has visions of angels, Edward Elgar, and King Penda , the last pagan ruler of England. The final scene of the play, where the protagonist has an apparitional experience of King Penda and
3773-480: The basis for sanitary provision . In 1894, based on these earlier subdivisions, the Local Government Act 1894 created urban districts and rural districts as sub-divisions of administrative counties , which had been created in 1889. At the same time, parish-level local government administration was transferred to civil parishes . Another reform in 1900 created 28 metropolitan boroughs as sub-divisions of
3850-450: The council was: The independents all sit together as the "Democratic Independent" group, which forms the council's administration with the Greens. The next election is due in 2027. Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 31 councillors representing 18 wards , each electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. The council is based at
3927-587: The counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire . The district includes approximately half of the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (prior to the 1998 alterations to its boundary, it covered most of the AONB). The district bounds onto the counties of Gloucestershire , Herefordshire and Shropshire , as well as the Worcestershire districts of Wychavon, Worcester and Wyre Forest . The River Teme
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#17328528756024004-435: The creation of single-tier unitary authorities in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, their numbers were reduced to 164 by 2023. These single-tier non-metropolitan districts are responsible for running all local services in their areas, combining county and district functions. They were created in the mid-1990s, and often cover large towns and cities as this is deemed more efficient than a two-tier structure. In addition, some of
4081-438: The district council, but—after local government reform—is occasionally a directly elected mayor who makes most of the policy decisions instead of the council. Before the establishment of districts in the 1890s, the basic unit of local government in England was the parish, overseen by the parish church vestry committee . Vestries dealt with the administration of both parochial and secular governmental matters. Parishes were
4158-559: The east. The main face of Gullet Quarry shows a cross-section through the Precambrian rock and exhibits many rock types including diorite , granite , gneiss , schist , pegmatite and dolerite . The evidence of the complex history of earth movements which formed the Hills can be seen by multiple joints, fractures, faults and shears, which make identifying changes in rock types difficult. Mineral deposits such as haematite , calcite and epidote can be seen within these features. There
4235-535: The eastern boundary of the district (with Wychavon ) between Stourport and Worcester, whilst to the south of Worcester the district includes parishes to the east of the Severn; the river is also popular with anglers and has public navigation rights. The area has a significant spa heritage and Malvern water is bottled and distributed commercially worldwide. The spa buildings (The Pump Rooms) survive at Tenbury Wells and many free spring water sources are available to
4312-526: The exploitation, and although a second Act was passed in 1924 its provisions were largely ineffective. Quarrying continued until 1966. The landscape itself was irrevocably changed; but there is some debate whether this has enriched or damaged the ecology of the Hills. Certainly the quarrying has changed the Hills forever, including creating habitats for frogs, toads, newts and other small animals. The new cliffs provide nesting sites for certain birds. The quarries, especially North Quarry and Tank Quarry, have over
4389-402: The fourteenth-century poem Piers Plowman . The Malvern Hills are part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with scenic views over both Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The Hills run north–south for about 8 mi (13 kilometres), in between Great Malvern and the village of Colwall , and overlook the River Severn valley to the east, with the Cotswolds beyond. The highest point of
4466-573: The functions and status of county and district. Metropolitan boroughs are a subdivision of a metropolitan county . These are similar to unitary authorities, as the metropolitan county councils were abolished in 1986. Most of the powers of the county councils were devolved to the districts but some services are run by joint boards and organisations. The districts typically have populations of 174,000 to 1.1 million. Non-metropolitan districts are second-tier authorities, which share power with county councils . They are subdivisions of shire counties and
4543-449: The geology, nature and history of the Geopark and the Malvern hills and Malvern in particular, as well as large wall maps of the area. The Abberley and Malvern Hills Geopark was launched in 2004. It falls within the counties of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Shropshire and Worcestershire and covers 3,240 km (1,250 square miles). The geological and geomorphological significance of
4620-477: The hill every day on his hands and knees, and died cursing the hill and all on whom its shadow should fall. Paintings of the Malvern Hills include Henry Harris Lines 's The British Camp and Herefordshire Beacon (1872), now in the Worcester City Museums. David Prentice , founder member of Birmingham 's Ikon Gallery , has been painting the Malvern Hills since 1986. Paul Nash made paintings of
4697-466: The hills and surrounding area were part of a royal forest known as Malvern Chase . Riots by commoners and legal challenges from land owners ensued when King Charles I attempted to disafforest the Chase in 1630. Ultimately, only one third was disafforested, and commissioners were appointed to ensure any further encroachments did not leave the common lands as the most meagre in quality. This system lasted until
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#17328528756024774-594: The hills from 'Madams' in Gloucestershire and from the 'Rising Sun' hotel on Cleeve Hill near Cheltenham . Dame Laura Knight painted in a studio near Wynds Point below British Camp. The opening scene in Elgar , a drama documentary made in 1962 by the British director Ken Russell , depicts a young Elgar riding a white pony over the Malvern Hills. Made for BBC Television's long-running Monitor programme, it dramatised
4851-465: The hills is the Worcestershire Beacon at 425 metres (1,394 ft) above sea level (OS Grid reference SO768452). The hills are famous for their natural mineral springs and wells, which were responsible for the development of Great Malvern as a spa in the early 19th century. Malvern water was bottled commercially on a large scale and sold worldwide. There are three passes over the hills,
4928-460: The late Precambrian , known as the Uriconian , which are around 680 million years old. The Malvern Line or Malvern Lineament is the name applied to a north–south aligned lineament which runs through the Malvern Hills and extends southwards towards Bristol and northwards past Kidderminster . It consists of a series of faults and folds which have the effect of bringing old Malvernian rocks to
5005-462: The life of the composer Edward Elgar. The film significantly raised the public profile of the composer. The Tank Quarry on North Hill and West of England Quarry on the Worcestershire Beacon were used as locations in the Doctor Who serial The Krotons , starring Patrick Troughton . The serial was broadcast in four weekly parts from 28 December 1968 to 18 January 1969. The Malvern Hills are
5082-479: The most common type of district. These districts typically have populations of 25,000 to 200,000. In this two-tier system, county councils are responsible for some local services, such as education, social services, and roads, while district councils run other services, such as waste collection, local planning, and council housing . The number of two-tier non-metropolitan districts (also known as shire districts ) has varied over time. Initially, there were 296; after
5159-526: The nearby Cotswold Hills and the natural beauty of the area, including the magnificent views of the Malverns, was a profound inspiration for their music. Howells dedicated his first major work, the Piano Quartet in A minor (1916), to "the hill at Chosen ( Churchdown ) and Ivor Gurney who knew it". The Swedish singer Jenny Lind spent the last years of her life living at Wynd's Point near the British Camp. She
5236-552: The pressures of tectonic movements about 300 million years ago when advancing sedimentary layers of Silurian shale and limestone were pushed into and under older Precambrian rock. When the fissures are saturated, a water table forms and the water emerges as springs around the fault lines between the strata. Depending on rainfall, the flow can vary from as little as 36 litres (7.9 imp gal; 9.5 US gal) per minute to over 350 litres (77 imp gal; 92 US gal) per minute. The water permeates through
5313-568: The public in and around Malvern . In the east of the district is Croome Court , a significant National Trust property. The whole district is divided into civil parishes. The parish councils for Malvern, Tenbury and Upton-upon-Severn have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". The parishes are: 52°11′N 2°20′W / 52.18°N 2.34°W / 52.18; -2.34 Districts of England The districts of England (officially, local authority districts , abbreviated LADs ) are
5390-400: The rock which, because of its hardness, leaves little or no mineral traces in the water, while at the same time the very fine cracks act as a filter for other impurities. Rainfall on the Malvern Hills is thought to be sufficient to account for all the water that runs out of the springs, reflected for example in some spring flows six to eight weeks after heavy rainfall, and in reduced flows after
5467-543: The smaller counties such as Rutland , Herefordshire and the Isle of Wight are unitary authorities. There are a total of 62 unitary authorities, the latest ones introduced in 2023. Unitary authority areas are a type of non-metropolitan district; most are established as individual counties containing a single district, with a district council but no county council. Cornwall , Durham , the Isle of Wight , Northumberland , Shropshire and Wiltshire were established as counties with
5544-487: The successors of the manorial system and historically had been grouped into hundreds , which had exercised some supervising administrative function. However, these powers ebbed away as more and more civic and judicial powers were centred on county towns . From 1834 these parishes were grouped into Poor Law Unions , creating areas for administration of the Poor Law . These areas were later used for census registration and as
5621-573: The surface. Being largely hard igneous rocks, they have resisted erosion better than those of the surrounding countryside and result in a striking line of hills of which the Malvern Hills are the most impressive. This line is considered to mark the edge of two terranes – two once separate fragments of the Earth's crust now joined as one – the Wrekin Terrane to the west and the Charnwood Terrane to
5698-509: The surrounding area. Long-distance direct bus services connect Malvern with other cities in the country, including the National Express route 321 through eleven counties from Aberdare, South Wales, via Birmingham and other major cities to Bradford, West Yorkshire, and route 444 from Worcester to London (Victoria). English composer Edward Elgar , who was from the area, often walked, cycled, and reportedly flew kites on these hills. He wrote
5775-574: The years been the sites of several accidents requiring the Emergency Services. In 1989, the cafe on Worcestershire Beacon burned down. As the Malvern Hills Acts state that no building should be erected on the Conservators' land or on land under their jurisdiction, the Conservators put a bill through Parliament to get the power to build a new one but the House of Lords opposed it. When the cafe
5852-457: Was burned down, the Conservators had plans to replace the building but were advised that they risked prosecution for rebuilding as the original cafe building was an encroachment on common land. The Malvern Hills Bill was in preparation to modernise some of the clauses in previous acts a clause was inserted to gain authority to rebuild the cafe. Five members of the House of Lords Select Committee visited
5929-417: Was formed in 1998 had different boundaries to the 1974–1998 district. In the 2021 census the population of the Malvern Hills district was 79,973. The neighbouring districts are Wyre Forest , Wychavon , Worcester , Tewkesbury , Forest of Dean , Herefordshire and Shropshire . On 1 April 1998 the county of Hereford and Worcester was abolished, being split into a unitary authority of Herefordshire and
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