A NUMBER of venues across Malvern Hills District are opening up their doors for Heritage Open Day – England’s largest history and Culture festival.
A variety of FREE events have been organised to bring people together to celebrate their heritage, community and history.
Malvern will celebrate its 80 years of radar history during this year’s open day with a guided walk around some of the sites used by scientists who worked on the radar during the Second World War. The walk will take place at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday, September 10 and 11. The celebration will be continued at 7pm on Wednesday, September 14, with two talks about how crucial radars were during the war, which commences at 7.
Here are some of the other events.
Friday, September 9:
- A drop-in session will be starting at Coach House Theatre. The sessions will be running 10am to 4pm and will go across the weekend.
- Between September 9 and 18, there will be a Great Malvern Railway Exhibition where visitors will be able to find out the Victorian heritage of many Malvern stations. Great Malvern Station is one of the finest, well preserved Victorian stations and is holding events between 7am and 6pm every day between Friday, September 9 and next Sunday, September 18.
- Also showcasing work everyday between 10am and 4pm from September 9 to 18 will be Ripple Parish Church which will display an ‘intriguing and amusing’ set of carved misericords.
- Across the weekend, an exhibition to commemorate MRATHS 80th Anniversary will be held, showcasing the science and technology which has come out of Malvern at Coach House Theatre. It runs from 10am to 4pm every day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 9, 10 and 11.
- Tours of Malvern’s Coach House Theatre run from 10am to 4pm on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, September 9, 10, 11 and 12.
- A talk entitled ‘Hidden but Fascinating Tewkesbury’ will be given by John Dixon, President of the Tewskesbury Historical Society, at Eden Centre, Grovewood Road, Malvern. It takes place at 7pm and is being hosted by the Malvern Civic Society.
- Tenbury Wells Museum – housed in the Victorian Pump Room dating from the time that Tenbury was a popular venue to taking the waters – will be open everyday between Friday, September 9, and next Sunday, September 18. 11am to 1.30pm everyday except this Saturday and next Sunday (September 10 and 18).
- Tenbury Wells Museum – The venue’s eclectic artefacts collections relating to the town’s development including some ‘astounding inventions’ , will be used in temporary exhibitions in the museum and the historic Pump rooms. Hands-on activities for children. Open from Friday, September 9, to next Sunday, September 18. 11am to 1.30pm most days, except Saturday and Sunday, September 10 and 11 (11am to 4pm), Saturday, September 17 (11am to 3pm) and Sunday, September 18 (2pm to 4pm).
- The Tools of the Trade – St. Mary’s Church, Church End, Hanley Castle – An exhibition of the many and various tools which may have been used by the tradespeople of Hanley Castle over 100 years ago. 2pm to 5pm everyday between Friday, September 9, and next Sunday, September 18.
- The Tudor House Museum, Upton-upon-Severn – View photographs of old Upton, watch videos of the worst floods, see pictures and descriptions of Admiral Tennant’s roles at Dunkirk and in the invasion of occupied Europe. Various times from Friday, September 9, to next Sunday, September 18. Town walks at 2pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 9, 10 and 11.
Saturday, September 10:
- A display in St Matthias will feature local inventions with churchyard trails available for all ages between 10am and 4pm, including the ‘innovation of ink’. The display will also be taking place on September 17.
- Malvern Museum will be exploring the unique history of Malvern by displaying William Casson’s inventions. Carson is best known for his work with coaches during the victorian era. The display will be available for the public until Sunday, September 18 – open everyday between 10.30am and 5pm.
- Malvern Masonic Lodge can be explored between 10am and 3pm. Once a hotel billiard room, it can be found at 42 Belle Vue Terrace, Malvern.
- The Malvern Link with Cowleigh Parish will be celebrated with displays and trails in the parish along the theme of Astounding Inventions from 11am to 4pm (also 11am to 4pm on Sunday, September 11).
- The Grade II listed St Mary’s Church, (1844), and Village Hall, (1870) will take visitors through all the changing scenes of life. Display showing rural life in the historical context. Available from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, September 9, 10, 12, 13 and 14.
Sunday, September 11:
- Malvern Town Council is hosting an afternoon concert at Priory Park in the park’s historic bandstand. ‘Bands in the Park’ runs from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
Monday, September 12:
- St Peter’s Church, Powick – guided tours, children’s activities and refreshments. 11am to 4.30pm Monday, September 12, Tuesday, September 13, and Thursday, September 15.
Tuesday, September 13:
- Forgotten Victory: Gheluvelt 1914 – Learn how 300 Worcestershire men – against the odds – changed the course of history in 1914 with a talk at Malvern Collage. The talk is set to take place at 7pm.
Thursday, September 15:
- At Malvern Collage there will be a lecture by D Adrian Burden called an A to Z of innovation here on Planet Earth. The lecture will be a whistle-stop tour of humans greatest achievements. The talk starts at 7.30pm.
- For walkers, there will be a country walk across the Malvern Hills, while you also learn about King Charles 1st history with the iconic landscape. The walk is hosted by the Malvern Civic Society.
- Tour of Great Malvern Cemetery – 2.30pm.
Visit heritageopendays.org.uk for more details.
