MALVERN CIVIC SOCIETY

Also in 1992 This second Malvern Civic Society wall plaque, was erected on Malvern House in Abbey Road. The inscription reads:-

MALVERN HOUSE WAS BUILT BY Dr.JAMES WILSON IN 1859 AND CONTINUED IN USE FOR WATER CURE PATIENTS AFTER HIS DEATH IN 1867

Over the years membership has grown slowly but steadily and the Society has become a responsible organization whose opinion is respected.

The Chairman is Mrs Katharine Barber of 11 Hawkwood Close, Malvern, Worcs WR14 1QU, Telephone No 01684 566249 .

The Hon. Treasurer and Membership Secretary is Mr Roy Woodcock of 18 College Grove, Malvern, Worcs WR14 3HP, Telephone No 01684 564304.

The annual subscription is £5, the financial year beginning 1st November.

Subscriptions paid by Bankers Order are always encouraged.

During the summer we had a visit to Leominster where we had a most interesting guided tour of the town following the talk given by Duncan James on "Timber buildings in North Herefordshire". We also had a visit to Elgar's birthplace and were welcomed to the new visitors centre by two of our members, Margaret and Ernie Kay. Margaret has been much involved with the development of the visitors centre and can be rightly proud of it.

We also welcomed two civic societies to Malvern. One from Leominster and the other from Reading. They were guided round the town by Dudley Brook, Mure Smith, George Chesterton and Dr Harcup (aka John Windsor), ending up at Lady Foley's Tea room on Gt. Malvern Station.

There is a programme of lectures and visits throughout the year which are becoming increasingly popular with members and visitors alike. Most of the lecturers are local and experts in their own field which leads to a greater appreciation of the activities around us. A bi-annual newsletter is distributed to all members and maintains contact with those unable to partake directly in the activities of the Society.

The lectures take place at 7.30 pm at the Beacon Room, Malvern Hills College, Albert Road North on the third Wednesday of the month. Advance notice is given in the Talks section of the Malvern Gazette on the Friday before the lecture. Visitors are welcome and asked to contribute £1. Tea and biscuits are served after the lecture.

The next three lectures are:

Wednesday 19th September 2001      On my way to Babylon (Felix Gameson)
      ("Care and repair of old properties" is postponed due to illness)

Wednesday 17th October 2001           The History of needle making in Redditch

Wednesday 21st November 2001        Teme Valley (Briam Draper)

Roger Smith who arranges the lectures is always on the look out for suitable speakers and any suggestions should be passed to him. His address is 176 Upper Welland Road, Malvern, Worcs WR14 3HG, Telephone No 016847 560690.

One of the Society's achievements has been the restoration of the fine Victorian band stand and its return to its original site in Priory Park. It is now used for band concerts throughout the summer - the Society sponsors at least one of the concerts - and appears as the logo on the Society letterhead and also on the Society tie, price £7.50 to members.

The retention of a fine and prominent Cedar of Lebanon threatened for felling to make way for a car park and the saving of the last high Victorian shop front from destruction are just two of the small successes in preservation.

However, much of the work goes un-noticed through consultation with other organizations.

The Society commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Water Cure in Malvern with a series of plaques attached to the ten buildings in the town chiefly associated with the cure.

In more recent years the Society has inaugurated an Award Scheme to stimulate better standards in both contemporary design, restoration and conservation by recognizing the best current examples.
Winners of the award include:-

The Design and Technology Centre at Malvern College by G F Hill Ltd;

Moorlands Court by I E Developments;

The conversion of the old North Malvern Junior School into 16 self-contained flats by the Friendship Group;

The Hillstone complex in Graham Road by I E Developments;

The renovation and extension of St Joseph s R C church in Newtown Road

Waitrose, Great Malvern.

Throughout the summer months the Society also leads Town Walks through Victorian Malvern and these have proved very popular, not only with visitors but also with residents who wish to learn more about their town. The walks take place on Saturday mornings at 10.30 and start from the Information Tourist Office in Church Street. Tickets cost £2.00 and can be purchased from the Tourist Office. Each walk lasts about 1½ hours.

The Society is a member of the Civic Trust, MASA (Midlands Amenities Societies Association) and the Cotswold Line Promotion Group. Each year we have a stand at the Three Counties Spring Gardening Show as a shop window for the Society's aims and achievements. We also maintain contact with the Malvern Museum Association and the Malvern Architectural Society as well as with other Civic Societies in the area.

Thank you for visiting the Civic Society Web Page
If you are interested in in the image Malvern presents then may we invite you to take part in one our surveys.
At present we would like your views on Christmas lighting in Great Malvern. If we get a good response the results will be presented to Malvern Town council in time to hopefully influence the Christmas 2001 display.

This will only take a few minutes
Just click on the link on the next line