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. The highest summit of the hills affords a panorama of the Severn valley with the hills of Herefordshire and the Welsh mountains, parts of thirteen counties, the Bristol Channel, and the cathedrals of Worcester, Gloucester and Hereford.
They are known for their spring water - initially made famous by the region's many holy wells, and later through the development of the 19th century spa town of Great Malvern, a process which culminated in the production of the modern bottled drinking water.
The Malvern Hills have been designated as a Biological and Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by the Countryside Agency (now Natural England). The SSSI notification has 26 units of assessment which cover grassland, woodland and geological sites. The site (The Malvern Hills SSSI (Chase End Hill)) is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).
Management of the hills is the responsibility of the Malvern Hills Conservators.
Read more about Malvern Hills: Toponymy, Geography, Geology, Ecology, History, Governance, Sport, Leisure, and Tourism, Abberley and Malvern Hills Geopark, Transport, The Hills, Vistas
Famous quotes containing the words malvern and/or hills:
“Ye elms that wave on Malvern Hill
In prime of morn and May,
Recall ye how McClellan’s men
Here stood at bay?”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
“He told of the Magnolia, spread
High as a cloud, high over head!
The Cypress and her spire;
MOf flowers that with one scarlet gleam
Cover a hundred leagues, and seem
To set the hills on fire.”
—William Wordsworth (1770–1850)