Location: in the rear garden of a modern house in Abbey Road
Description: an ornamental Victorian water feature once fed by spring water and is probably the water garden known as Fairy Glen.

For many years during the 19th century South Abbotsfield was the home of wealthy landowner Mary Palmer (1796-1865) formerly Mason. She had inherited the family's Grange estate which had comprised most of the former monastic land south and east of the village of Great Malvern. When Mary died her only child, Mary Phebe (1837-1904), inherited the remnants of the estate, including the house in Abbey Road. 

Abbotsfield South was once a substantial Victorian house with a front entrance on Abbey Road. The grounds, which were next to, and on the north side of, Melton Lodge, extended steeply westward to Wells Road. The western perimeter of the property, on Wells Road, was bounded by a Malvern stone wall and gate, which are still there, opposite the south entrance to Rose Bank Gardens. In the 19th century the garden was landscaped with an ornamental pool and a fountain, fed by spring water, believed from the spring containment at Melton Lodge to the south. The original garden is now occupied by a modern dwelling but traces of the old water features still exist, in particular the basin of the pool, which has been dry for many years.

In time for the Well Decorating in May 2015, a pool with a small working fountain was landscaped into the bank, thus reinstating the water garden that dates back to Victorian times.

Illustrations:
1. Looking down from Wells Road to the site of the pool perched on the bank.

2. The pool and fountain in 2015. 

 

 

The map alongside is a small section of our more comprehensive map of the area. For the complete map together with a description and history of this site see "Celebrated Springs of the Malvern Hills" (2012).

 

 

 

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Celebrated Springs of 
THE MALVERN HILLS  

A definitive work that is the culmination of 20 years researching the springs and wells of the Malvern Hills, published by Phillimore. This is the ideal explorers guide enabling the reader to discover the location and often the astounding and long forgotten history of over 130 celebrated springs and wells sites around the Malvern Hills. The book is hard back with dust cover, large quarto size with lavish illustrations and extended text. Celebrated Springs contains about 200 illustrations and well researched text over a similar number of pages, together with seven area maps to guide the explorer to the locations around the Malvern Hills. It also includes details on the long history of bottling water in the Malvern Hills.

Written by Bruce Osborne and Cora Weaver, this book is available on-line for £15.00 (delivered UK) - click Malvern Bookshop on the green panel top left. Alternatively send a cheque payable to Cora Weaver with your name and address to 4 Hall Green, Malvern, Worcs. WR14 3QX.