| Great Escapes: Hereford & Worcester 1 |
| The Elgar Route |
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Edward Elgar is this region’s most famous son. He was born in Lower Broadheath, near Worcester, and spent most of his life in and around the area. There is a marked Elgar route, which runs from Malvern to Worcester to Upton-upon-Severn and back to Malvern where walkers and music lovers alike can chart his life. If you stop at every attraction you’ll need at least two days to take in everything. However, there are several points of interest grouped together in and around Malvern and Worcester.
1 THE ELGAR GRAVES
The Elgar family graves are at St Wulstan’s Church, on the A449 Malvern to Ledbury road, in Little Malvern. Park in front of the church and follow the signs to the grave. Both Elgar and his wife Caroline Alice, who died 14 years before him, are buried together. Their only child is buried nearby.
2 THE BRITISH CAMP
On leaving St Wulstan’s, turn left and follow the A449 for about a mile until you come to a large car park at the brow of a hill. Walk up the tarmacked path to The British Camp, an Iron Age hill fort that dates from 200BC. The climb isn’t particularly long, but it is extremely steep. It is well worth the effort, though, for the magnificent view over the countryside. It’s said that it is here Elgar found inspiration to write his cantata Caractacus.
3 HOLY WELL
After leaving The British Camp, return towards Little Malvern, and just after passing the entrance to St. Wulstan’s Church take the narrow left fork off the main road signposted Holy Well. In about a mile you’ll arrive – the well will be on your left.
Water has been drunk from the Holy Well fountain since the 1660s, and Malvern remained a popular spa town for rich convalescents. Famous Victorians to have taken the waters here are Charles Darwin and Florence Nightingale. Today, there is a notice stating that the purity of the water cannot be guaranteed and should therefore be boiled before being drunk.
4 CRAEG LEA, NO. 86 WELLS ROAD
From the well, drive back to the main road and turn left towards Great Malvern. The road becomes Wells Road and you should look for number 86 on the
left-hand side. The Elgars lived here from 1899 to 1904. During that time Elgar composed The Dream of Gerontius, Cockaigne, The Apostles, Pomp and Circumstance, The Coronation Ode, and In the South. The house isn’t open to the public, but depending on the traffic, you can park for a short time to take a photograph or two.
5 GREAT MALVERN
Of the four towns which share the Malvern name
(Little Malvern, Malvern Wells, West Malvern, and Great Malvern) this is the largest. It is perched on the eastern side of the Malvern Hills and the A449 runs along its top.
There are several houses with Elgar connections around the town, and the Winter Gardens Festival Theatre in Grange Road stages performances of his music during the Malvern Festival, which is held in May each year.
In Alexandra Road, off Worcester Road is Forli
– the family house from 1891 until they moved to Craeg Lea in 1899. Forli is set back from the road and so can be easily missed. Look for a stone gatepost on the left-hand side about 200 yards from the
beginning of the road and about 20 yards from its junction with Somers Road. During the time they lived there, Elgar wrote several works, among them the ‘Enigma Variations’.
6 ELGAR'S BIRTHPLACE, LOWER BROADHEATH
Elgar’s birthplace in the village of Lower Broadheath is to be found in Crown East Lane just off the A44 Worcester to Leominster road, about four miles west of Worcester. The Elgar Centre has been built next to the cottage where he was born on 2 June, 1857,
and lived for the first two years of his life. Next
door is The Plough Inn where you can get snacks
and meals.
The Centre (which was only completed in 2000) houses an extensive collection of Elgar
memorabilia including instruments, batons, music scores, concert programmes and letters. There are also displays of his court dress and the robes he
wore when he was made a doctor of music by Cambridge University.
Entry to the cottage tour is included in the
admission price to the centre. The cottage is small but full of personal items and you gain a real insight into his life: his desk is claimed to look exactly as it did
shortly before his death in 1934. Everywhere there are portraits of the composer and other famous
people he met during his life.
7 WORCESTER
Worcester played an important part in Elgar’s life. During his childhood, his father and uncle had a music shop in the High Street not far from the Cathedral. Although the shop was demolished, a plaque on the wall of the present building marks where it stood. Nearby is the Guildhall where Elgar received the Freedom of the City in 1905. The Guildhall is open to the public, free of charge, and serves carvery lunches every day. The Tourist Information Centre is also housed in the building.
At the end of the High Street, facing the Cathedral, is a statue of Elgar.
In the Cathedral nave you will see a stained glass window dedicated to the composer. It includes
references to The Dream of Gerontius oratorio. On the floor below are plaques to two the associates who, along with Elgar, founded The Three Choirs Festival which still takes place in August each year.
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Distance 50 miles
Time 9 hours
Start/finish Blackmore Caravan Club Site, Blackmore End, Hanley Swan.
Note: members-only site
Suitable for anyone interested in English music.
Tourist information
Malvern
21 Church Street, Malvern WR14 2AA
Tel 01684 892289
Worcester
The Guildhall, High Street, Worcester WR1 2EY
Tel 01905 726311
Refreshments
The Plough Inn Crown East Lane, Lower Broadheath WR2 6RH
Tel 01905 333677
Attractions
The Elgar Birthplace Museum
Crown East lane, Lower Broadheath WR2 6RH
Tel 01905 333224
Fax 01905 333426
Email Click here
Website www.elgar.org
Malvern Museum
The Abbey Gateway, Abbey Road, Malvern WR14 3ES
Tel 01684 567811
Malvern Splash
Leisure Complex
Priory Road, Malvern WR14 3DS
Tel 01684 893423
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