November 2010

Who are our Friends? Friends promote research, conservation and celebration of the Springs, Spouts, Fountains and Holy Wells of the Malvern Hills and of Great Malvern as a Spa Town.

On the 20^th October 2010 we received notification from Coca Cola Enterprises that they intended to close their Colwall bottling plant. This is after 23 years working with the local community to provide employment for about two dozen people and to perpetuate the historic Malvern Water bottling tradition, brand and vintage bottling works. By the time you read this you will be aware that it is all over and no doubt the recriminations will start to fly as everyone tries to make sense of this loss to the local heritage and economy. As Coca Cola point out you need modern high throughput plant and facilities to compete in today's international markets and this means you have to have a prolific water supply, far greater than the modest Primeswell near British Camp.

In due course, no doubt we will be drawn into the debate about the issues, but for the present we are looking at how we can create a fitting tribute to all the people who have expended so much effort over the 160 years to make the brand famous. Inevitably we have to do a part rewrite of our forthcoming book Celebrated Springs of the Malvern Hills and this we anticipate will be a lasting record of the Malvern Water brand and its heritage. We are also looking at other ways in which the heritage can be enjoyed in the future as a fitting tribute. As our plans consolidate we will announce details in our Friends Newsletters. In the meantime your own views and comments are welcomed.

The Spring on Belle Vue Terrace

Friends will no doubt have already discovered the original St Ann’s Well basin in the grounds of the Mount Pleasant Hotel on Belle Vue Terrace, Great Malvern. The basin was restored some years ago by Cora and Malvern Civic Society.  But did you know that you can also eat there at the restaurant known as The Spring. The bar and restaurant are open lunchtimes and evenings respectively. When you are in Malvern next, check out the basin and the menu as an excuse to have a look inside this early 19^th century building.  Tracy William on reception is most helpful and you never know, you may wish to book a table. The web site is http://www.thespringrestaurant.co.uk/

Following the last Newsletter, a Friend who had obviously been reading Cora's new book, commented on the Civic Society plaque recently unveiled at Malvernbury, commemorating Florence Nightingale staying there.  Unfortunately the original building was replaced in the early 20^th century.  The question raised was why did the Civic Society choose to erect a plaque on this 'outskirts of town' site when they could have put a plaque on surviving town centre buildings where she stayed? South Villa, the building where she lodged when she took the water cure in 1848 exists next to Dr Gully's Tudor House and even better she stayed in Holyrood House which is connected to Tudor House. With the future of Tudor House very much in question, it would have been useful to draw public attention to its plight at the same time.

Picture - Florence Nightingale and the Malvern Water Cure, a lecture and re-enactment staged by Malvern Museum at the Coachhouse Theatre on Saturday 9 Oct 2010. Cora gives Florence (Barbara Steele) the water cure. From Cora's lecture it was learnt that Florence stayed approximately 44 weeks in Malvern between the years 1848 and 1868.

Victorian Ladies Wee Secret Revealed

The article in the last Newsletter about the Florence Nightingale lecture and ladies dress prompted an amusing response from a Friend. 'I was interested amongst other things in the comment about women's "drawers" and if they wore them at all.  When I was about 10 years old, there was an old lady, Nell, whose mother had lived in what must have been Victorian times.  Nell told my mother and me that her mother would wear very long dresses and used to stand over a grate in a street when needing to have a wee, so in that respect Nell's mum had found the long dresses convenient as well as not having to wear drawers.  Nell told us that her mother said how the streets were not tarmaced off course in those days, and so the long skirts would trail in the muddy surface especially when the weather was rainy and require washing, which in itself was a huge task.'

What a prospect - Victorian ladies around the Malvern Hills wearing long dresses and weeing over a grate or even a spring whenever it suited; possibly carried out while still in conversation with other ladies similarly disposed. Or even in the company of their male companions on the hills! Certainly many promenade gardens such as in Harrogate Spa, Llandrindod Wells and Epsom Wells, originated as scrubland where those taking the spring waters could resort if caught short.  Why not Malvern?

Picture from Punch 1854; 'Madam, have you just wee'd in front of my younger brother?'

'My apologies Sir, I did not realise it was his turn!'

Jacob's Fountain original urn survives - In Newsletter 29 we raised the plight of Jacob's Fountain and this was followed up with a letter in the Gazette bringing the problem to the attention of a wider audience. Following a brief chat with letter author Dr John Harcup, we learn that the plan to restore the Jacob Fountain involves commissioning a feasibility study as the first stage. This will cost money. In the meantime we have made something of a discovery. Some, if not all of the four urns that surrounded the original fountain appear to have survived. The one pictured sits in a corner in the Coachhouse Theatre and is about 3 feet high. Let us hope that the restoration initiative proceeds to plan and all four are reinstated.

Dowsing - unexplained phenomena or nothing at all?

Readers of The Times will likely recall the article in Eureka supplement for September on dowsing or water divining. This old practice has existed for centuries and includes everything from the use of tree branches, a pendulum or metal rods to indicate where something, often spring water, exists underground.  Explanations for the phenomenon include the body's ability to detect changes in magnetic or gravitational fields and an unproven sixth sense. Our own experiences include looking for the buried access door to the Lower Wyche Spout tank some years ago.  The diviner was way out in his location prediction whereas we had knowledge of other Charles Morris tanks and guessed that the layout would be similar, which it proved to be.  The Times sums up the state of knowledge and general scientific view by stating that dowsing has not shown itself any more effective at predicting than random chance. Perhaps, like our experiences, this is usefully backed up with a little technical knowledge that enables the diviner to make deductions from the surroundings.

What are your experiences and views - email us? Picture from De Re Metallica (1556) Agricola G.

Should the Malvern Hills (and our Springs and Wells) form Britain's next National Park?

The change in leadership of the Malvern Hills Conservators recently has resulted in a defusing of the recent controversy regarding the future of St Ann’s Well and its management. The bad publicity that previously resulted has raised questions however about the future status of the hills. On the plus side for the National Park proposal there is the possibility of central government support for visitor facilities and recreation on the hills and a change in management structure. On the downside is a greater emphasis on public access and the increased control on planning on any land that is included beyond the present remit of the Conservators. One might for example include the Teme Valley, which although within the Malvern Hills District Council region is at the moment only enjoying Area of Great Landscape Value protection and support.

Although not named a National Park, the Malvern Hills could arguably be called Britain's first National Park anyway, having been established with its own statutory administrative body and countryside protection initially under an Act of Parliament of 1884 with subsequent amendments. On an international level the definition of a National Park includes the inalienable status of the land. This is achieved by the park area being owned by the nation for the nation, with appropriate legislation that curtails the inappropriate management of the land. In this respect the Malvern Hills is more a National Park than the 15 designated British National Parks. In the 15 British cases, the land is largely privately owned and the National Park legislation curtails the rights of the landowner to develop and manage the land unhindered. However with the Malvern Hills the land is owned by the Malvern Hills Conservators, representing the Nation, with statutory obligations to manage the land within strict parameters. By owning the land area, the Malvern Hills is nearer to the international model than the so called British National Parks.

Let us have your views and if you would like to read about the background to the latest South Downs National Park go to http://www.britishnationalparks.com/nationalparks.asp?p=15 where the complex issues are considered in detail.

Famous Fountains

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - continued.

This is not to say that many of the Malvern water treatments did not work. We know they did and now understand the science behind them.   The question we raise is could a good drenching under the pump be resurrected for some of the misinformation that we hear presented from time to time? If so it's time to restore the old pump that was once on Belle Vue Island!

The picture is from Punch XXVI of 1854 (p11).

Mulberry Trees - After their first full year in the UK all we can say is that they are getting larger! And you should see Bernadette on our Mulberry web site! Bernadette is now a massive 146cm tall from stem base to top leaf joint, as measured on the 16th October!  In the picture Cora and John inspect the root system of sapling code name 'Ben' at a secret location. For news and the background to this project visit the Mulberry Tree web site at www.malvernspringsandwells.com

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