Malvern - Malvern, Worcestershire (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 237. Not illustrated. Chapters: Malvern, Worcestershire. Excerpt: Welcome to Malvern, on an approach road to the town centre.Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by the Malvern Town Council. It has a population of 28,749 (2001 census), and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former independent urban district of Malvern Link. Many of the major suburbs and settlements that comprise the town are separated by large tracts of open common land and fields and, together with smaller civil parishes adjoining the town council boundaries and the hills, the built up area is often referred to collectively as The Malverns. Archaeological evidence suggests that Bronze Age people had settled in the area around 1000 BC, although it is not known whether these settlements were permanent or temporary. The town itself was founded in the 11th century when Benedictine monks established a priory at the foot of the highest peak of Malvern Hills. During the 19th century Malvern developed rapidly from a village to a sprawling conurbation due its popularity as a hydrotherapy spa based on its spring waters. Immediately following the decline of spa tourism towards the end of the 19th century, the town's focus shifted to education with the establishment of several private boarding schools in former hotels and large villas. A further major expansion started when the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) relocated to Malvern in 1942. QinetiQ, TRE's successor company, remains the largest local employer to the present day. Malvern is the largest urban development in the parliamentary constituency of West Worcestershire and according to the 2001 United Kingdom Census the civil parish had a population of 28,749. Malvern is also...