BANDSTANDThe quarterly newsletter of the Malvern Civic Society

Volume 58 No. 3 June 2016Ernie Kay writes about the

foundation of the Offa’s Dyke Association (ODA) and

getting the route designated as a National Trail from Chepstow

in the south to Prestatyn in the north. Ian Rowat was the first full-time Offa’s Dyke Path Officer

and recalls some of his memories from those early days.

see page

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From the ChairmanClive HooperThe death of John Handley, Civic Society Chairman from 2005 to 2008, came as a shock to many of us and has been received with much sadness. John and his wife, Linda, had only recently moved to Dorset for family reasons. Our thoughts and deepest sympathy go to Linda and the family at this sad time.

Under John’s leadership, Society membership expanded enormously through his efforts in overseeing an excellent programme of talks and activities, through his engaging and friendly personality, and through the support he had gathered around him from his Executive Committee. He was very popular and approachable and in his role as newsletter editor he always wrote well and entertainingly. His book on C.W. Dyson Perrins was a splendid example of his thoroughness in research.

John enjoyed participating at all levels of the Civic Society. On the one hand, he was a major influence in establishing our website and, on the other, he enjoyed serving as one of our town guides, proud to take his turn in

showing visitors and residents the historic sights of Malvern. After stepping down as our Chairman, he became one of the Society’s Vice-Presidents and continued to offer his wise counsel and give his wholehearted encouragement to our endeavours. He will be greatly missed.

News at last that Malvern Hills District Council has refused the planning application to demolish the former Malvern Community Hospital in Lansdowne Crescent and to replace it with a 50-bed care home is greatly to be welcomed, and it fully supports the strong stand Malvern Civic Society has maintained for the retention of this heritage asset. The Society has always argued that if the proposals were implemented they would have an adverse impact upon the town’s historic environment and would result in harm to the Great Malvern Conservation Area. This decision now leaves the opportunity for imaginative proposals to come forward for the use of the existing building.

As mentioned in the last Bandstand, Bob Tilley has retired as chairman of the Planning Sub-Committee. We are very fortunate that Graham Myatt has agreed to take over the role and we all wish him well for the future.

This edition of Bandstand has excellent articles by Ernie Kay and Ian Rowat on Offa’s Dyke Path and the work which was undertaken to open up the splendid walk. They follow the series of articles by Felicity Ebsworth about the Speer family of Malvern. Copy for future editions is always welcomed, so if you feel you could contribute something, please let our editor, John Dixon, know.

Finally let me remind you about this year’s Civic Week at the end of June. Information about the programme is being circulated, and I do hope you will come to as many events as possible.

Society’s May walk on Oyster Hill

John Handley

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Editor: John Dixon

Design & Typesetting: John Roslington

In thIs IssueFrom the Chairman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Route to the Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Treasurer reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Offa’s Dyke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Civic Award nominations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Planning Sub-Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Friends of Malvern’s Railway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The Exchange Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Malvern’s trees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Forthcoming Society Events, June-October 2016 . . . . 8

Civic Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Registered Charity No. 111 7906

The Treasurer reports on Smarter CampaigningAndrew HuntleyThe Society pays an annual membership subscription of £500 to Civic Voice. This report is about a Smarter Campaigning Workshop organised by Civic Voice in Birmingham on 22nd March.

Civic Voice is the national voice for a membership of 250 Civic Societies through which it has the clout to be an influential lobbyist to the Government concerning civic matters. The Workshop had two main messages:

• Firstly, the importance of collaboration. Civic Societies must work together and speak with one voice, in order to have a greater influence on Government policies.

• Secondly, the need for effective parliamentary lobbying on local issues. Civic Societies need to provide personal and detailed evidence to support an argument for or against government policy. This is what every parliamentary group and individual MPs are looking for.

Historic England made a presentation. Heritage is important for many reasons. One financial statistic is that for every £1 spent on a heritage project, £1.60 is generated for the local economy. Historic England can offer advice about sources of funding and organisations or individuals with specialist skills or knowledge. They also run training courses, such as the one to help groups make an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

It has been a busy couple of months for the Great Malvern Route to the Hills team. We recently recruited six volunteers to investigate the history of shops in and around Great Malvern, with their results feeding into a new trail to be designed for summer 2017. Before starting this work, the volunteers attended a training session at Worcester Archives to fine-tune their historical research skills, and are now searching newspapers, directories and plans of the town to piece together the development and changes of local Malvern shops over the years.

Good progress on the Route has been made, with the development of content for the various panels, plaques and monoliths being the current focus. Artwork and illustrations will complement the text to help engage passers-by.

The Learning & Community Engagement Officer is continuing to deliver a series of talks about the project to interested organisations, most recently the Women’s Guild of Friendship and, with the project almost complete, the team will be promoting it at various local events in the coming months.

The team also worked with partners and community groups to deliver new historical activities at local initiatives and festivals. In April we held a Victorian Hoop Trundling competition at Fortis Living’s Easter event in Elgar Retail Park, a popular activity which encouraged children to share their hoop-rolling skills with their parents. Similarly a quiz was developed for the Water Festival Weekend, with participants searching for answers and solving historical puzzles to learn more about the Water Cure. Our focus is now on completing the children’s trail for Civic Week, and finalising a new adult walking tour developed by the Earth Heritage Trust, which will examine the origins of rocks around Malvern town centre. This will be showcased as part of the project’s Five Weeks of Summer programme.

Finally we have a new volunteering role for anyone who enjoys writing in their spare time. We shall be recruiting several reporters who can help us share the stories of the project, its partners and Malvern’s history. If you are interested in finding out more, please email katy.wade@malvernhills.gov.uk or call 07779 456 448.

Route to the HillsKaty Wade

Training session at Worcester Archives

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Ernie KayIn 1959, my wife Kathy and I booked for a Welsh Borders YHA walking holiday. Frank Noble, a charismatic Yorkshireman who taught at a school in Knighton, led this. He saw in Offa’s Dyke the potential for another long-distance path,

following on from the Pennine Way. He wanted to encourage young people to take healthy exercise, to benefit the local economy and to publicise this historic Border earthwork.

Over ten years later the necessary groundwork and negotiation had been achieved, so that Sir John Hunt, leader of the 1953 Mount Everest Expedition, could finally open the route. It proved popular from the start and the Offa’s Dyke Association (ODA), set up by Frank to get the route under way, began to provide information and support for the users. We planned to have professional management and that is how Ian Rowat joined us. Sadly, by the time of his appointment, we had lost Frank to multiple sclerosis and it was left to other volunteers, some local and others from ‘away’, to keep the show on the road.

The next big task for Kathy and me was to write the official guidebook for the route. It was published in the late 1980s and was in print for 25 years, when a new edition, based on our original, was published. In 2001, the ODA opened an interpretation and management centre at Knighton, the mid-point of the Path.

From 2000 onwards the role of the volunteers lessened as the route became more used and clear, and the role of official county and national authorities increased. In recent years, however, public funding has decreased and the involvement of voluntary bodies is likely to grow again.

On our retirement in 1990, Kathy and I moved to a farmhouse beside Offa’s Dyke, but after her sad demise in 1995, I started on my Malvern years. Both Frank Noble and I were honoured to receive MBEs for our work for the Offa’s Dyke Association.

Ian RowatErnie Kay, a distinguished member of Malvern Civic Society, was a founding member of the Offa’s Dyke Association (ODA) and was instrumental in getting the route designated as a National Trail from Chepstow in the south to Prestatyn in the north. It follows 80 miles of Offa’s Dyke, which is the impressive boundary marker between the Saxon Kingdom of Mercia and the Celtic tribal lands beyond. I was the first full-time Offa’s Dyke Path Officer from 1980 to 1986 and Ernie has asked me to recall some of my memories of that time.

When I was appointed to the post, I was interviewed by a group of enthusiastic ODA volunteers who had a very particular view of how the trail should be looked after. This proved to be a good training ground for when I was later accountable to a similar group

of conservators at Malvern. From my base at Knighton I spent many sunny days walking the length of the trail, getting to know that fabulous border country from easy walking along the Wye, to the ridge of the Black Mountains, through the sheep lands of Herefordshire and Shropshire, and finally over the Clwydian range to the sea.

As well as indulging my favourite pastime of walking, there were the characters I met along the way; some farmers weren’t too sure about people traipsing across their land but we needed their approval to put in over 300 stiles on the route as well as various waymark posts. The stiles were a compromise between being accessible to walkers but high

enough to stop mountain sheep jumping over. Today, many of those stiles have sensibly been replaced by gates. However, one or two bridges remain much as they were 30 years ago when I built them.

One of the highlights of my time on the Offa’s Dyke was to meet regularly with Sir John Hunt of Mount Everest fame. He had a cottage in Llanfair Waterdine only 4 miles from my office. Once a week he would walk in along the trail and stop off for coffee. It was a real privilege to hear tales of his early reconnaissance up the western cwm looking for a way up Everest.

Offa’s Dyke is only an hour’s drive from Malvern and there are many places along the route where you can view the dyke.

Offa’s Dyke – Britain’s longest ancient monument

Offa’s Dyke footpath in the Clwydian Hills in North Wales by Paul Thickitt

Offa’s Dyke near Knighton

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1. no. 4 nightingale Court, Jenny Lind Grove (off Albert Park Road) This is a brand new development by Roy Pendleton of Court Properties, Callow End, of two duplex and

two single-storey apartments. The site was for many years occupied by a small chapel and the designer Steven Salisbury has managed to provide a great deal of living space in a limited building plot. The red brick exterior with large gables was planned to fit in with the quiet, residential character of the area.

2. elmslie house, Avenue Road This large Victorian mansion was built in 1862 as the home of the architect E.W. Elmslie. He designed it

on a grand scale with much ornamentation, both inside and out, by the distinguished Worcester sculptor William Forsyth. Elmslie left Malvern in 1866 and the house then went through several changes of ownership and name until it was bought in 2013 by Anna and Bernard Taylor. They have carried out a very thorough renovation using local architect Steve Davis and local craftsmen: Pegasus Joinery for woodwork, Steve Allard for stonework, metal goods by the Swinbourne brothers and Morgan the blacksmith, and glass by Malcolm Wicherley. The house is now a listed Grade ll building and has been renamed after its original owner and designer.

3. the Razak Centre, Malvern College Two existing science buildings, one built in the 1930s and the other in the 1960s, have been brought

together to form a new science centre named after a former pupil of the school who is now Prime Minister of Malaysia. Both buildings have been thoroughly renovated and modernised and have been connected together by a new component which includes a 140-seat, state- of -the-art lecture theatre, designed by Squire and Brown. The work was carried out by Keir Construction. Eighteen laboratories and prep rooms have been fitted-out with the latest equipment and furniture and the whole complex has an eco-friendly, air-source heating system.

4. no. 8 the Lees (off thirlstane Road) Tom Wood inherited this fine Victorian house from his parents-in-law. Built in 1889, it has survived almost

unchanged, apart from a rear extension added in the 1920s, with most of its original features. It has been a labour of love for Tom to manage the renovation of the house both inside and out, using local expertise: architect Marcus Cleaver, builders Jeremy Dean and Horizon Construction, stonemason James Robinson, carpentry by Mark Davies and Steve Taine, and metalwork by D. A. Walton. Another new extension has been added to open up the kitchen, and the garden has been brought back to life.

5. no. 17 Imperial Road The unremarkable frontage of the original 1960s bungalow gives no hint of the changes which have taken

place behind it. Owner Owen Law has masterminded the almost total rebuilding of the original house. The kitchen has been enlarged and transformed, with open access to the living room; a multi-system music room has been added; a new bedroom/living area now fills the spacious loft. Local builders Simon Rowe and Jeremy Dean have done the bulk of the work. All these changes have more than doubled the living space.

6. the Corner, Christchurch Road/Court Road The developers Guthrie Roberts Ltd bought a nondescript 1980s, three-storey apartment block, previously

owned by the National Health Service, on the corner of Christchurch Road. Matt Banks of Worcester architects, Glazzard, was brought in by Ben Guthrie to re-envisage the building in order to make better use of its prominent site and of the spectacular views from its upper stories. Bricklayers Brooke and Poynton, Walkers Electrical and W.P. Plastering combined to create six contemporary apartments. Off-road parking and communal patios and gardens complete the scheme.

I am grateful to the following people for their support:

(l to r) Peter Clement, Katharine Barber, Philip Duckworth, Meg

Everett, Cora Weaver, John Dixon, plus Dudley Brook and Louisa

Davidson (not shown).

MAlVerN CiViC AwArD 2016John Dixon

The Civic Award sub-committee has now visited all of this year’s nominations. No decision has yet been made on a winner; it is going to be a difficult decision. The winner’s plaque will be awarded in Civic Week. Brief comments are given here on each of the nominations in no particular order.

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BANDSTAND June 2016

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4 Nightingale Court

Elmslie House

Razak Centre The Corner

8 The Lees

17 Imperial Road

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Malvern Civic Society’s Planning Sub-CommitteeGraham MyattMalvern Civic Society Planning Sub-Committee’s aim is: “to conserve and protect the best elements of Malvern’s heritage in the built and natural environments”.

It is a fact that “best” is a subjective quality. What is “best” to some is occasionally an abomination to others. The “referees” in conservation and protection of the built environment are the officers in the planning department of our District Council and the councillors themselves. Together, they work to uphold the National Planning Policy Framework, which is backed up by Acts of Parliament and the South Worcestershire Development plan.

These “referees” have to adjudicate between, on the one hand, those individuals and organisations which want, for whatever reason, to develop or expand the built environment whilst using up, to some extent, the resources or quality of life of others and, on the other hand, those who oppose them. Sometimes these opponents will include the Malvern Civic Society and it is important that our opinions are not only carefully considered but expressed in a way which makes them most effective.

Before a decision is made, planning officers are careful to invite comments (“representations” in planning-speak) from anyone who has a view about how each application accords with the planning

policies. Everything known that is relevant is taken into account before the decision is made. When submitting a representation, it is not good enough to write in with generalised displeasure about an application. A representation should relate to a relevant policy point or it will carry little weight.

The MCS Planning Sub-Committee meets on the last Wednesday of each month and submits representations to the District Council, after reviewing all planning applications for the Malvern area and its immediate surroundings.

Please contact me if you would like to get involved.

Great Malvern station – Clock tower ProjectDonations have been arriving not only from members and local individuals and businesses but also from further afield. One from Norfolk included a poem written about a train journey to St Richard’s School, Little Malvern in 1963.

At that time, the school was housed in the Old Presbytery, St Wulfstan’s. In 1968 it moved to Bredenbury, Herefordshire, where it still is.

A meeting with London Midland was held on 29th March to discuss how they might project manage the restoration of the clock tower.

The cost of replacing the Victorian Clock Tower has been broken down into small elements and a Sponsorship Form is available for anyone who would like to donate. Just go to www.malverncivicsociety.org.uk and follow the path to the sponsorship form. You can sponsor an element from as little as £10.

Postcard provided by Roger Hales. Great Malvern Station,

1907, showing the clock tower.

The Friends of Malvern’s Railway GroupBack to School, Malvern, May 1963 (The Cathedrals Express)Under the clock on Platform OneAt Paddington we metFarewells were said – that ritual doneA trickling tear – detectReading and the Vale of ThamesThrough Goring Gap we raceNo longer steamy ‘Castle’ gemsDiesels in their placeOxford and her dreaming spiresWe paused a second timeOnce coal and water – stoking firesBefore the Cotswold climbSmall sleepy halts – quite vanished nowLike famous AdlestropThen Campden Bank to tunnel lowAwaiting at the topBeside the track – those fertile fieldsSome gated or with hedgeFor nature in abundance yieldsEvesham’s fruit and veg

Twin Worcester stations came and wentWe are in Elgar landOur Master was a man from KentHere to lend a handTiredness peaked at Malvern LinkWe were about to dropAnd as the sun began to sinkWe reached Great Malvern stopWe caught a coach via Malvern WellsWith glimpse of Bredon Hill(Housman wrote about the bellsHeard in summer still)Today the school – another nameAnd all those boys grown oldLife can never be the sameAs the years unfoldIt was a cracking loved expressAdventure on its ownAn epic journey nonethelessFinal whistle blown

Steve Glason February 11th 2016

VisitA fun day visit to the Wingletang Railway in Malvern is being planned for Sunday, August 28th. It includes access to a delightful garden. This could be great for the whole family. Look out for more details later this year.

Anyone wishing to join the group please contact Peter Clement.

The MCS Planning Sub-Committee meets on the last Wednesday of each month

The Old Presbytery,formerly St Richard’s School

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The ExchangeLouisa Davidson The Exchange — its name is proclaimed confidently on the corner of the façade — was built between 1897–1900 as a commercial building in a prominent position in the centre of Great Malvern. Constructed of red bricks, it is enlivened by red and buff-coloured terracotta, which is a fired-clay alternative to bricks and stone, and was very popular for public buildings at that time. It was cheap, hardwearing, resisted dirt and could be very decorative. On the ground floor were series of shops of which some of the original frontages survive.

A fishmonger, known locally as ‘Fishy Davis’, occupied the most prominent shop on the corner. The internal walls of his shop were covered by a series of attractive ceramic-tiled faïence murals, some of which have been revealed by recent refurbishment.

Louisa Davidson, Chair of Malvern Civic Society’s Architecture Group, and Jacob Rock, who are building conservation specialists, were able to investigate and take pictures of these murals and to offer the new leaseholder advice on their conservation. One of the scenes, which portrays fishing boats, was produced by the firm of Carter of Poole, Dorset, and it is possible that the whole terracotta and faïence scheme for the Exchange was produced by Carter and Co. This discovery by Louisa and Jacob has certainly added to the interest and importance of the Exchange and further investigations are continuing.

Malvern’s TreesElizabeth AdlamCivic Society Tree Officer

The land on which Great Malvern is situated was well-wooded with native species of trees when the Benedictines established Malvern Priory in 1085. Today, Great Malvern is a town with large houses surrounded by a more eclectic mix of native and non-native trees, planted from early-1800 onwards. From 1846 Lady Emily Foley (1806-

1900) only sold land for building on condition that it was planted with trees and had stone boundary walls. So, in the 21st century we are the beneficiaries.

Malvern Civic Society monitors all the applications made to Malvern Hills District Council for tree felling and pruning and is able to object when necessary. Generally, we wish to keep our splendid heritage of trees, but sometimes felling and pruning are necessary. In the past, some trees were planted too close to buildings or were unsuitable species and have grown too big and have become a hazard. This raises a question: should we as a society monitor tree planting? Should we be doing more to help people choose suitable species which will still be flourishing in a hundred years’ time and helping to maintain our town’s special green beauty?

Drawing by Dudley Brook

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For full details, please refer to the Membership Card and the Society’s website A Summer Evening at Brockhampton: Wednesday June 15th at 6.00 pm Visit the National Trust’s moated manor house and enjoy a glass of wine and a tour — £10

Friday Talks in Eden Centre, Grovewood Road (off Townsend Way) at 7.30 pmJune 10th John harcup On the Road to Fame (Edward Elgar)July 8th David Morgan Is My Garden Good Enough? The National Gardens SchemeSeptember 9th Ian Cawood The Landmark Trust’s restoration of Llwyn CelwynOctober 7th John Berkeley From Pens to Particle Physics

Society outings To join in coach excursions or local visits, please send Ann Bartlett your booking form, telephone her on 01684 561510 or e-mail bookings@malverncivicsociety.org.uk. Full details will be sent to those who book.

Coach ExcursionsThursday September 8th Kelmscott Manor The Cotswold country retreat of William Morris, father of the Arts and Crafts movement, with art by

Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Dürer and Bruegel on display.Thursday October 6th Cardiff Castle Established by the Romans but transformed into a romantic Victorian fantasy for the Bute family by

William Burges, Cardiff Castle boasts a history spanning two millennia.

Local Visits by car — sharing recommendedWednesday June 22nd honington hall, Shipston-on-StourSaturday Sept. 24th st Mary’s Church, Kington: please note the change of date.

Society Walks — Saturdays: start time 10 a.m.June 18th Meeting point: The King’s Arms at Newent (on B4221, just west of the traffic lights.) Arrive 9.45. There

is alternative parking at the job centre in Newent on a Saturday. David Street is continuing our exploration of the herefordshire-Gloucestershire canal. About four

miles. Please let David know if you hope to come: 01684 572801 or dandbstreet@gmail.comSeptember 17th Meeting point: The Railway Inn at Ripple. (OS 873378) Arrive 9.45. About three miles, taking in the Battle of Ripple site, uckinghall and several other features of

interest. Dogs welcome though there may be sheep. Please let Jean Gainey know if you hope to come: 01684 572702. Let the pub know if you would like lunch: 01684 592225.October 15th Meeting point: The Crown Inn, Powick, WR2 4SF. Opposite the Bowling Green garage (SO 822511)

Arrive 9.45. A circular walk in green lanes, woods and a section of the three Choirs Way past stanbrook Abbey. The Crown Inn does good meal deals. Please let Roger Smith know if you hope to come: 01684 560690 or roger.sd.smith@gmail.com

FORTHCOMING SOCIETY EVENTS, JUNE–OCTOBER 2016

Andrew Huntley/Katharine BarberCivic Week runs from June 25th –July 2nd. The programme offers a variety of events to suit all age groups. The theme is Malvern Celebrates summer and there is a gardening focus. A number of gardens are open, including the Dell House at Malvern Wells. This is a chance to see a house and garden not normally open to the public. Why not celebrate summer sitting in the original Victorian summerhouse?

There is also ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ and Rosamund Wallinger will tell her remarkable story about recreating the original garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll at her home near Basingstoke.

Paula Byrne will tell us about ‘Kick’ Kennedy, sister to Jack. These events will take place in the Lewis Lecture Theatre at Malvern College. This is part of the new science centre opened in 2015 by Najib Razak, the Prime Minister of Malaysia and an Old Malvernian.

We are lucky to have a talk by Ben Cowell, the new Director General of the Historic Houses Association, which has over 1600

houses on its books. We will also organising a visit to Weston Park, a HHA house in Shropshire.

Our aim is to promote what is going on in and around Malvern. One example is the Printmakers’ Co-operative which meets at St Peter’s Church in St Peter’s Road. There will be an exhibition of their work in the church on June 25th with a chance to buy prints and cards made by members.

Malvern Museum is involved in a joint effort with Route to the Hills in giving us a Heritage Trail treasure hunt for families and a Bygone Malvern event at Elmslie House. There are also the Mulberry Tree activities. There is so much more and all of it set out in the programme.

The ethos of Malvern Civic Week is that the speakers donate their fee to a charity of their choice. In this way, £10,000 has been raised for charities in recent years. We hope that you will join us for what will be a memorable week.

MALVERN CIVIC WEEK 2016