A Tour of Great Malvern Priory - April 13
This year’s AGM was preceded by a tour of Great Malvern Priory. The Priory Church of St Mary and St Michael Great Malvern was built in 1085 by Benedictine monks from Westminster Abbey. The priory was founded by Aldwyn, a monk from Worcester. Westminster Abbey was granted the parish of Powick by Edward the Confessor, a gift which was confirmed by William the Conqueror after 1066. In the eleventh century the parish of Powick stretched from the River Severn to the ridge line of the Malvern Hills, about eight or nine miles.
The Benedictines chose to build in Malvern because the priory is next to the Salt Road, a major thoroughfare from Droitwich to Bristol and South Wales. The site has running water in the form of a spring, which now feeds the lake in the park, and is sheltered.
The nave is the original Norman building with its round columns. The right side aisle is original; however the Victorians extended the left side aisle to create more room. The right aisle could not be extended due to the land behind the church having been sold off; it now belongs to the Abbey Hotel.
The church has been restored during the nineteenth century. By 1780 the building was in such disrepair that it was closed. An appeal raised £1,000 for repair work and the building was reopened in 1802.
The east end of the church was rebuilt between 1440 and 1501. Under the tower it can be seen that the Norman wall slopes. This indicates that the foundations for the tower were inadequate and may well have caused the tower to collapse onto the east end of the church. The land on which the church stands also slopes down toward the east end of the church.
The rebuilding is in the Perpendicular style and when outside the two different styles are quite obvious at each end of the church. The church is made from Shropshire and Worcestershire stone hence the marbled effect. The tower is a copy of the one on Gloucester Cathedral. In all probability the architect’s plans from Gloucester were borrowed to allow a copy to be made.
The stained glass window of the north transept was donated by Henry VII. In the lower lights are figures of Henry himself, Elizabeth of York, Prince Arthur and Sir Reginald Bray. The window was probably made by the royal glaziers in London (but see “Dickon Independent” issue 41, pages 4 - 7, for it being made locally).
The medieval tiles made locally are stuck to the north wall of the chancel. They contain designs like coats of arms and symbols such as fish and pelicans. Victorian copies now adorn the floor of the choir and nave. As a group we have seen these tiles or copies of them in many churches in the area and they originate from Malvern.
The medieval glass in St Ann’s Chapel is almost complete and clearly shows scenes from the Old Testament, including the creation of the earth, Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, Noah’s ark, Joseph being lowered into the pit, the discovery of baby Moses and other figures. This is considered to be the best medieval glass in the region.
The most famous monk was the second prior, Walcher of Lorraine, and his tombstone can be seen in the St Ann’s Chapel. Walcher translated into Latin a document which introduced Arabic numerals to England instead of Roman numerals. We of course still use the Arabic numbers today.
The original misericords display a sense of humour: there are rats hanging a cat. A doctor’s visit, scything, grape picking and weeding are some of the other scenes. The line can clearly be seen where the Victorians added an extra twelve seats.
The fifteenth century stained glass in the East window is confused and rather fragmented because an ivy tree had been allowed to grow through the panes before being cut down in 1802. However the window by then was so badly damaged that the glass was just stuck in any old how. Fortunately a detailed description of the window made by an Elizabethan antiquary still exists. It is possible to see the twelve apostles in the upper tier.
The West window glass is also confused in places; however you can see St Catherine, St Lawrence and St George and the dragon, and St Christopher. Much of the original glass donated by Richard Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III) and his wife has been lost or moved to other windows, like the coat of arms now in the clerestory window in the choir, and part of the bear supporters of Anne Neville’s arms in a window in the north transept, together with some other glass including the donor heads.
When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries the two hundred local parishioners purchased the church from the commissioners for use as their parish church for £20. Bishop Latimer (who was later executed), made a plea for Malvern Priory on the grounds that the prior was a holy man who did much good for the poor of the parish, however the appeal failed and the monastery was dissolved.
The original parish church which stood on the site of what is now the Post Office was falling down. So the vicar moved himself, the vestments, the church bells and the lead from the roof of St Thomas the Martyr’s into the priory church. However by the time that this was done part of the church had been pulled down, including the Lady Chapel, and the stone sold off.
Most of the buildings were sold off, however the fish ponds and the Home Farm still exist in the form of Priory Park behind the Winter Gardens. The Guesten Hall survived until the 1840's when it was pulled down to make room for a water cure hotel which is now Park View apartments.
The Abbey Gateway (misnamed) still exists and is now the town museum. What they do not tell you is of the time that the priory was involved in a scandal but that as they say is another story………………………..