West Malvern is a village and a civil parish on the west side of the north part of the Malvern Hills, on the western edge of Worcestershire, England. It has become effectively an outer suburb of Malvern and part of an urban area often called The Malverns, locally administered by Malvern Hills District Council and its own parish council. Its altitude up to 250 metres gives West Malvern panoramic views of the adjacent Herefordshire countryside to the west. The Church of St James, built in 1840, has an adjacent Church of England primary school. The churchyard includes the grave of Peter Mark Roget, author of Roget's Thesaurus, who died while on holiday in the village. The 2011 Census population of 1,385 was estimated at 1,263 in 2019.[ City Population. Retrieved 23 December 2020.]
Etymology
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 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 and
Little Malvern were then named. The
West element of
West Malvern was added in modern times to distinguish the settlement from these older centres.
[, s.vv. Great MALVERN, Little MALVERN, West MALVERN.][.]
Culture
Since 2005 West Malvern has hosted an annual one-day
music festival West Fest.
[ West Fest aims and objectives Retrieved 25 August 2010] In years when West Fest makes a profit the committee distributes grants "to support community action, cultural development, training or to meet special needs."
[ West Fest grants Retrieved 25 August 2010] From the profits of West Fest 2008 "a total of £7,150 was distributed" in the Malvern Hills area to 2nd Malvern Link Brownies, the Theatre of Small Convenience, West Malvern Sean Éireann McMahon Academy (Irish dancing), West Malvern Cricket Club, Malvern Mencap, St James Primary School, Leapfrogs Playgroup, and Malvern Access Group.
There has also been a regular weekly acoustic music session in the village each Sunday evening since 1996.
On 20–22 August 2010 a visual arts festival was held in the village, in support of the Malvern Hills Community Foundation, in a variety of venues including the Regents Theological College, St James's Church, St James Primary School, and the Brewers Arms pub. Local garages, gazebos, and even garden walls and railings were also used to display artworks. The event, which is intended to become annual, was modelled on a similar arts festival at Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei in Normandy, France.[ West Malvern arts festival (from Malvern Gazette) Retrieved 25 August 2010][ Arts Festival "a wonderful occasion" (from Malvern Gazette) Retrieved 25 August 2010]
The West Malvern Ring
In 2025, the village of West Malvern hosted a local production of Richard Wagner's opera cycle,
Der Ring des Nibelungen. The project, titled
The West Malvern Ring, was the culmination of a long-held idea by the late resident Rob Rankin
. It was brought to fruition by musical director Judith Sanoon and creative director Tim White.
The production, which will run from August 15th to August 17th, presents a two-and-a-half-hour musical play, condensing the sixteen-hour original work. The staging utilized live acting, a simplified score, and video sequences filmed in and around the Malvern Hills. The production featured over 40 local participants and was performed at the West Malvern Social Club. It offered an interpretation of the epic story of gods and mortals within a community-focused framework.
Landmarks
The Malvern Hills area is well known for its
Malvern water and there are several springs and wells in West Malvern including Westminster Bank Spout, St James Churchyard Basin, West Malvern Tap, Hayslad, Royal Well, and Ryland's Well and St Thomas' Well.
[ Malvern Spa Association]
There were quarries around West Malvern including Dingle[ Dingle Quarry Retrieved 25 August 2010] and several more.[ Historical photos of West Malvern quarries Retrieved 25 August 2010]
Hayslad Spout, West Malvern.jpg|Hayslad Spout after a Well dressing
Transport
Rail
The nearest railway stations are Malvern Link (for the northern end of the parish) and Colwall (for the southern end), both on the
Cotswold Line between Hereford and Worcester.
Bus
Local bus services connect West Malvern with the surrounding area.
[ Local transport. Retrieved 23 December 2020.]
External links
