St. Ann's Well, Malvern
Encyclopedia
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
above Great Malvern
Great Malvern
Great Malvern is an area of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is the historical centre of the town, and the location of the headquarters buildings of the of Malvern Town Council, the governing body of the Malvern civil parish, and Malvern Hills District council of the county of...
. It is a popular site on a path leading up to the Worcestershire Beacon
Worcestershire Beacon
Worcestershire Beacon, also popularly known as Worcester Beacon, or locally simply as The Beacon, is a hill whose summit at 425 m is the highest point of the range of Malvern Hills that runs approximately north-south along the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border, although Worcestershire Beacon...
and lies on the final descent of the Worcestershire Way
Worcestershire Way
The Worcestershire Way is a waymarked long-distance trail located within the county of Worcestershire, England. It runs from Bewdley to Great Malvern.-History:When launched back in 1989 the Worcestershire Way was long and ran partly into Herefordshire...
.
The spring or well is named after St Ann
St Ann
St Ann may refer to:*Saint Ann or Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary*Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica*St. Ann, Missouri-See also:*Church of St. Ann *Saint Anne *St Ann's *St Anne's...
; the maternal grandmother of Christ and the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of many wells.
A building that dates back to 1813 houses the well or spring. Malvern water
Malvern Water
Malvern water is a natural spring water from the Malvern Hills on the border of the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire in England. The Hills consist of very hard granite and limestone rock. Fissures in the rock retain rain water, which slowly permeates through, escaping at the springs...
flows freely from elaborately carved water spout. The building also hosts a cafe
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
. During the early 20th century, the now defunct Burrows company bottled and sold Malvern Water
Malvern Water (bottled water)
Malvern Water is a brand of bottled drinking water obtained from a spring in the range of Malvern Hills that marks the border between the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire in England...
from this source under the St Ann's Well brand.
Toponomy
St Ann's Well is a natural spring which Palmer suggests may have been dedicated to AnuAnann
In Irish mythology, Anann was a goddess. 'Anann' is identified as the personal name of the Morrígan in many MSS of Lebor Gabála Érenn. With Badb and Macha, she is sometimes part of a triple goddess or a triad of war goddesses. As such, she may be a Celtic personification of death, and is depicted...
, a celtic water goddess.
The well itself was reputedly discovered in 1086 by Aldwyn of Malvern
Aldwyn of Malvern
Aldwyn was the historical founder of Great Malvern Priory, in Malvern, Worcestershire in the 11th century.A hermitage was established there before the Norman Conquest of England...
and named in the mid eighteenth century. It was supposedly named after the chapel in the nearby Malvern Priory which was named after an altar in the old priory. The monks dedicated the altar to St Ann
St Ann
St Ann may refer to:*Saint Ann or Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary*Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica*St. Ann, Missouri-See also:*Church of St. Ann *Saint Anne *St Ann's *St Anne's...
as they identified her with the spring on the hill.The hill in question may have been known as Tan Hill after Tanfana
Tanfana
Tanfana or Tamfana was a goddess of the Istvaeones in ancient Germanic paganism, the destruction of whose temple in the territory of the Marsi is mentioned in Tacitus' Annals.-Literary mentions:...
the Belgic
Belgae
The Belgae were a group of tribes living in northern Gaul, on the west bank of the Rhine, in the 3rd century BC, and later also in Britain, and possibly even Ireland...
God of Fire, and St Ann may be a modification of that name. Tan is modern Welsh for fire and it's celtic use for beacon
Beacon
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location.Beacons can also be combined with semaphoric or other indicators to provide important information, such as the status of an airport, by the colour and rotational pattern of its airport beacon, or of...
fires is proved by the fires lit in Brittany “at the time of the summer solstice
Summer solstice
The summer solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet's semi-axis in a given hemisphere is most inclined towards the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun, during a solstice is 23° 26'. Though the summer solstice is an instant in time, the term is also...
”. St Ann's well is located on the eastern slopes of the Worcestershire Beacon
Worcestershire Beacon
Worcestershire Beacon, also popularly known as Worcester Beacon, or locally simply as The Beacon, is a hill whose summit at 425 m is the highest point of the range of Malvern Hills that runs approximately north-south along the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border, although Worcestershire Beacon...
, the highest hill on the range.
A 19th Century antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
speculated that "St Ann's Well — in its primary form means simply "the well dedicated to the sun"".
St Werstan
According to James Nott one of the most important events in the history of Malvern was the arrival of St. WerstanSt. Werstan
St. Werstan was a monk of the Saxon monastery of Deerhurst in Gloucestershire which was destroyed by the Northmen. Werstan escaped and fled through the Malvern Chase, finding sanctuary on the Malvern Hills at a hermitage near St. Ann's Well. Legend tells that the settlement in Great Malvern began...
, who established a cell on the hill side near St. Ann's Well. St. Werstan was a monk of the Saxon monastery of Deerhurst
Deerhurst
Deerhurst is a village near Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, England on the east bank of the River Severn. The Royal Mail postcode begins GL19.- Anglo Saxon church & chapel :...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
which was destroyed by the Northmen. Werstan escaped and fled through the Malvern Chase
Malvern Chase
Malvern Chase occupied the land between the Malvern Hills and the River Severn in Worcestershire and extended to Herefordshire from the River Teme to Cors Forest....
, finding sanctuary on the Malvern Hills. Legend tells that the settlement in Great Malvern
Great Malvern
Great Malvern is an area of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is the historical centre of the town, and the location of the headquarters buildings of the of Malvern Town Council, the governing body of the Malvern civil parish, and Malvern Hills District council of the county of...
began following the murder of St. Werstan. Although the legend may be monastic mythology historians have concluded that he was the original martyr. A 15th Century stained glass window in Great Malvern Priory
Great Malvern Priory
Great Malvern Priory in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, was a Benedictine monastery c.1075-1540 and is now an Anglican parish church.-History:...
depicts the story of St. Werstan, with details of his vision, the consecration of his chapel, Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
granting the charter for the site, and Werstan's martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
dom.
Healing waters
The quality of Malvern spring water was appreciated in the medieval period. The purity of St Ann's Well in particular was well known in the 15th century as a curative for the “many maladies suffered by mediaeval folk”. An old song attributed the Rev. Edmund Rea, who became Vicar of Great Malvern in 1612, alluded to the healing properties of the well:
Out of thy famous Hille
There daily springeth
A water passing still
That always bringeth
Great comfort to alle them
That are diseased men
And makes them well again
So Prayse the Lord!
Dr John Wall
The reputation of St Ann's Well water was scientifically confirmed by Dr John WallJohn Wall (physician)
John Wall , was an English physician, one of the founders of the Worcester Royal Infirmary and the Royal Worcester porcelain works. He was also involved in the development of Malvern as a spa town.-Early life:...
, a Worcestershire physician, who analysed the water in 1745 and found that “the efficacy of this water seems chiefly to arise from its great purity”. Wall published the results along with accounts of miracle cures in Experiments and Observations on the Malvern Waters (1757). The chief aim of the publication was to raise money to make improvements to the primitive building at St Ann's Well. It is telling that his research demonstrated that it was necessary for the waters to be drunk on the spot and taken regularly to be successful.
The Well House was built in 1813 and was owned by Lady Emily Foley who granted the public free access to the spring water.
Water cure (therapy)
A water cure in the therapeutic sense is a course of medical treatment by hydrotherapy.-Overview:In the mid-19th century there was a popular revival of the water cure in Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
. From 1815 John and Hester Clifton lived in the cottage at St Ann's Well and their daughter provided refreshments for the Water Cure visitors in the Tea Garden
Tea garden
Tea garden may refer to:* Roji, gardens surrounding Japanese tea houses and which form part of the architecture associated with Japanese tea ceremony* Tea plantations, where tea bushes are cultivated...
s.
The unusual octagonal extension was erected in 1841.
In the 1850s, water from St Ann's Well was bottled by John and William Burrow at the Bottling Works Spring in Robson Ward's yard on Belle Vue Terrace in Great Malvern. Bottling ceased here in the 1950s and the former bottling works are now furniture showrooms.
Water for the Bottling Works Spring is piped from St Ann's Well.
In 1866, John Down established a photographic studio at St Ann's well, and used the spring water for processing. He also constructed a camera obscura
Camera obscura
The camera obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography. The device consists of a box or room with a hole in one side...
which was situated on the nearby St Ann's Delight.
In 1892, Lady Foley donated a Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
marble spout and basin. The spout is a dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
s head which is positioned above a shell shaped basin. A plaque above the spout reads:
Drink of this crystal fountain
And praise the loving Lord
Who from the rocky mountain
This living stream out-poured
Fit emblem of Holy Fount
That flows from God's eternal mount
This marble tablet was placed at St Ann's Well by the Rt Hon Lady Emily Foley of the Manor of Gt Malvern Oct 1892.
The lines were composed by the Rev W Blake Atkinson Rector of Bradley Nr Redditch.
Old Moses
From at least 1817 donkeys were used to carry visitors up the hills and by 1852 there were numerous donkey hire stands. One particular donkey named Old Moses carried a young Princess Victoria to St Ann's Well where she officially opened a new path from Nob's (now St Ann's) Delight to Foley Walk.Blind George Pullen
Blind George Pullen earned his living playing the euphoniumEuphonium
The euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
and dulcitone
Dulcitone
A dulcitone is a keyboard instrument in which sound is produced by a range of tuning forks, which vibrate when struck by felt-covered hammers activated by the keyboard....
almost every day for 50 years from about 1880 to entertain visitors to St Ann’s Well. It is said he could “recognise the sound of regular visitors’ footsteps and would play their favourite tune as they approached”.
Controversy
In 1963 the Malvern Hills ConservatorsMalvern Hills Conservators
The Malvern Hills Conservators are a body corporate responsible for the care and management of the Malvern Hills and Commons. They were established in 1884 and are governed by five Acts of Parliament, the Malvern Hills Acts 1884, 1909, 1924, 1930 and 1995. They became a registered charity in...
made the decision to demolish the “lump of Victoriana” known as St Ann's Well. John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
, poet and founding member of the The Victorian Society expressed concern about the plans for the building and his support and strong public feeling for St Ann's Well convinced the Conservators to change their minds.
Restoration
In 2005 the gardens at St Ann's Well, were restored by the Malvern Spa Association, the Area of Outstanding Natural BeautyArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
and the Malvern Hills Conservators. The work was funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
. On December 9, 2005 the completion of the work was celebrated by over 100 people at St Ann's Well. Music was provided by Master H & The Nominus Minstrels and local harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
ist Jonathan Penley. A BBC Television crew filmed the celebration of the restoration, which concluded with a rendition of a 17th century song about Malvern water.
St Ann's Well today
In addition to its Malvern waterMalvern Water
Malvern water is a natural spring water from the Malvern Hills on the border of the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire in England. The Hills consist of very hard granite and limestone rock. Fissures in the rock retain rain water, which slowly permeates through, escaping at the springs...
spout, St Ann's Well also houses a vegan and vegetarian cafeteria. In 2009, the Malvern Hills Conservators
Malvern Hills Conservators
The Malvern Hills Conservators are a body corporate responsible for the care and management of the Malvern Hills and Commons. They were established in 1884 and are governed by five Acts of Parliament, the Malvern Hills Acts 1884, 1909, 1924, 1930 and 1995. They became a registered charity in...
announced plans to take St Ann's Well cafe back under their own management on expiry of the tennancy on 31 March 2010 to achieve a long-standing goal of providing a visitor information centre. The announcement was met with opposition from local residents and visitors to the area and a public meeting was called by the Malvern Hills Conservators to address the concerns of the public on November 12, 2009. Thirty-six members of the public attended the meeting and asked a total of 26 questions regarding plans for St Ann's Well. At a the meeting of Malvern Hills Conservators on March 11 (2010), supporters of the proprietor of St Ann's Well asked a further 29 questions, some of them concerning the plans for the cafe and others about other aspects of the Conservators work. In June 2011 the Malvern Hills Conservators announced that the dispute over the lease would be investigated by a committee.
New Age philosophy
Alfred WatkinsAlfred Watkins
Alfred Watkins was a businessman, self-taught amateur archaeologist and antiquarian who, while standing on a hillside in Herefordshire, England, in 1921 experienced a revelation and noticed on the British landscape the apparent arrangement of straight lines positioned along ancient features, and...
believed that St Ann's Well was the start of a ley line
Ley line
Ley lines are alleged alignments of a number of places of geographical and historical interest, such as ancient monuments and megaliths, natural ridge-tops and water-fords...
that passes along the Malvern ridge through several wells including the Holy Well
Holy Well, Malvern
The Holy Well is set on the slopes of the Malvern Hills above Malvern Wells. The well is believed to be the oldest bottling plant in the word.-History:The Holy Well was granted to John Hornyold Esq in 1558.In 1743 Dr John Wall analysed the spring water...
, Walms Well and St. Pewtress Well. In Early British Trackways (1922) Watkins gives another example of a ley line that he believed passed through Priory Church, Malvern and St. Ann's Well to Little Mountain (Westbrook) via Arthur's Stone
Arthur's Stone, Herefordshire
Arthur's Stone, Herefordshire is a Neolithic chambered tomb, or Dolmen, dating from 3,700 BC – 2,700 BC and is situated on the ridge line of a hill overlooking both the Golden Valley, Herefordshire and the Wye Valley, Herefordshire.- Location :...
, Cross End, Moccas
Moccas
Moccas is a village and civil parish in the English county of Herefordshire. It is located west of Hereford.The parish is mainly farmland with a number of woods, including Woodbury Hill Wood and the Moccas Park Deer Park...
Church, Monnington
Brobury with Monnington on Wye
Monnington on Wye is a village in western Herefordshire, England, located between Hereford and Hay-on-Wye.It is joined with Brobury for civil parish purposes....
Church, Credenhill
Credenhill
Credenhill is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England,Near Credenhill is the site of the former Royal Air Force station RAF Hereford, which is now the headquarters of 22 Special Air Service Regiment.-Notable residents:...
(old) Court, Pipe and Lyde
Pipe and Lyde
Pipe and Lyde is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. The parish includes Pipe and Lyde itself, Lower Lyde and Upper Lyde. Parts of the church of St Peter date from the 13th century including the south door which features Transitional moulding.-References:...
Church, and Beacon Hill.
In the late 1970s Paul Devereux
Paul Devereux
Paul Devereux is an author, researcher, lecturer, broadcaster, artist and photographer based in the Cotswolds, England. Devereux is a Research Fellow with the International Consciousness Research Laboratories group at Princeton University....
stated that he had discovered the “Malvern Ley” which began at St Ann's Well and ended at Whiteleaved Oak. The alignment passes through St Ann's Well, the Wyche Cutting
Wyche, Worcestershire
Wyche, generally referred to locally as The Wyche, is a village and a suburb of the town of Malvern, Worcestershire, England, situated approximately south of Great Malvern, the town's centre, on the B4218 road that runs from Malvern to Colwall...
, a section of the Shire Ditch, Midsummer hillfort
Midsummer Hill
Midsummer Hill is a large hillfort on the Malvern Hills. It can be accessed via a footpath which leads south from the car park at British Camp on the A449 or a footpath which heads north from the car park in Hollybush on the A438.-External Links:*...
and Whiteleaved Oak. British author John Michel
John Michell (writer)
John Frederick Carden Michell was an English writer whose key sources of inspiration were Plato and Charles Fort...
wrote that Whiteleaved Oak is the centre of the “Circle of Perpetual Choirs” and is equidistant from Glastonbury
Glastonbury
Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,784 in the 2001 census...
and Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
.
Interfaith
The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
"Blessing of the Waters" Service featuring songs, chants and blessings from many faiths has been held at St Ann's Well.
Malvern Fringe Festival
Until recently St Ann's Well was the starting point for the annual Malvern FringeMalvern Fringe Festival
The Malvern Fringe Festival is an arts festival which takes place in Great Malvern, England. The main events of the Malvern Fringe Festival are the MayDay and the annual three day festival held in June as a fringe to the Elgar Festival...
May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
procession. The first procession was held as recently as 1994.
Music, poetry and dance
Nigel KennedyNigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy is a British born violinist and violist. He made his early career in the classical field, and he has performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti...
used the Octagon room as the location for a promotional video shoot for his 1996 album, “Kafka”.
Dick McBride
Dick McBride (poet)
Richard William McBride is an American beat poet, playwright and novelist. He worked at City Lights Booksellers & Publishers from 1954-1969.-Life:...
, American beat poet and City Lights
City Lights Bookstore
City Lights is an independent bookstore-publisher combination that specializes in world literature, the arts, and progressive politics. It also houses the nonprofit City Lights Foundation, which publishes selected titles related to San Francisco culture. It was founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence...
store manager, celebrated the publication of “Remembered America” (2004) with a reading in the Octagon room.
Robin Broadbank, flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
guitarist and former producer for Nimbus Records
Nimbus Records
Nimbus Records is a British record company specializing in classical music recordings.Nimbus was founded in 1972 by the late bass singer Numa Labinsky and the brothers Michael and Gerald Reynolds and has traditionally been based at the Wyastone Leys mansion site, near Monmouth and the English/Welsh...
performed at the Octagon room in October 2004.
Flatworld recorded their eponymous album at St Ann's Well in 2005.
In July 2009, over 100 Morris dancers
Morris dance
Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, handkerchiefs and bells may also be wielded by the dancers...
participated in the “Day of Dance” at St Ann’s Well. The event was organised by Old Meg Morris, a mixed Morris dancing side based in Malvern. The sides came from around the country, each with their own particular style of dancing, representing various Morris traditions.
Further reading
- Rose Garrard: 2006, Malvern: Hill of Fountains — Ancient Origins, Beliefs and Superstitions surrounding Wells and Well Dressing ISBN 1-905795-01-7
- Bruce Osborne & Cora Weaver: 1994, Aquae Malvernensis — The Springs and Fountains of the Malvern Hills ISBN 1-873809-07-7