Collection: Malvern Museum of Local History

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  Malvern Museum began life in 1856 with a view to providing a base for natural history objects collected by members of the newly formed Malvern Field Club. This collection moved to Malvern College, where part of the geological collection is thought to remain. Malvern Museum next surfaced in 1914 in the Public Library, where it remained for several decades. In 1979 a new museum opened and within a year it moved to its present location in the Priory Gatehouse. Since then, some of the 19^th century geological collection has been deposited at the museum, along with some of the material that had been stored in the Public Library. The rest of that collection had been transferred to Worcestershire County Museum in the 1970s.

  Since 1979 the museum has continued to collect, mainly through donations from the public, and now holds around 6,500 items from all periods of time that have a link to the geographic area of Malvern.

  The museum’s main collections relate to geology, social history, industry, and scientific research. The museum also has archives which contain local books, papers, maps, photographs and postcards, programmes, local society archives and musical scores.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2022

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  The Museum has collections pertaining to seven broad areas of its local history:

  • Geology of the Malvern Hills and surrounding areas
  • Prehistory: Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age communities
  • Roman
  • Medieval: Royal Forest/Chase and monasteries
  • Water Cure: 18^th – 19^th centuries
  • Victorian expansion
  • Twentieth Century: cultural, scientific and manufacturing achievements

  Core collections are:

  Geological specimens

  • Rocks – many collected in the 19^th century
  • Fossils – many collected by 19^th century Field Club members

  Medieval

  In addition to in-situ medieval and Tudor features in the Priory Gatehouse, there are:

  • Medieval timbers from demolished Guesten Hall windows (Malvern Priory loan)
  • Medieval stonework from Malvern Priory (Malvern Priory loan)
  • Medieval tiles from Malvern Priory (Malvern Priory loan)

  Water Cure

  • Bottles
  • Schweppes Collection
  • Prints of Water Cure treatments
  • Sitz and Slipper baths

  19^th and 20^th century Maps

  (The first two sets have been digitised and the originals are now deposited at the Record Office Worcester – The Hive)

  • Foley maps 1831
  • 1886 OS maps
  • Foley maps 1910

  Social History

  Collections of items, including archival material, for:

  • Domestic and personal life ~ 19^th and 20^th century
  • Trade and industry ~ 19^th and 20^th century
  • Leisure and social life ~ 19^th and 20^th century
  • Local amenities including education ~ 19^th and 20^th century
  • War items for 1914 – 1918 and 1939 – 1945

  Malvern Festival

  • Programmes 1929 – present day
  • Photographs of plays, playwrights (Shaw), actors and producers
  • Festival Theatre china

  Science

  • Radar and thermal imaging equipment
  • Radar magazines
  • Photographs (TRE, RRE, RSRE, DERA, royal visits)
  • Material relating to the apprentices from the College of Electronics (photographs, manuals, periodicals, trophies)

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2022

  Licence: CC BY-NC