A Great Time in Malvern : Books, Tea and a Theatre Visit

Aug14

Last Saturday I arranged to meet up with a couple of members of my online book discussion group for our annual ‘Summer Meeting’ away from London (last year we were at Chatsworth). This year’s venue was Great Malvern in Worcestershire. I had never been there before, nor I believe had Carol, but Simon (Stuck-in-a-Book) used to live not so far away in Eckington so he was pretty familiar with the town and its book shops, of course.

These meetings generally follow a similar pattern. Meet for tea and cake, head off to a book shop or two, decide to have a light lunch, followed by more book shopping and ending with more tea (and often, cake). Anyway the theme is always of tea, cake and books in some kind of order.

Picture Source

As I was dropping off another friend at Great Malvern Station I arranged to meet Simon there. The station is probably one of the prettiest I have ever been to – there is a tea shop (Lady Foley’s Tea Shop) with tables and chairs outside on Platform One and as it is a listed building you can imagine it still has the signs and furniture of a bygone age. The station is slightly out of the town centre though so we drove, uphill, to a more convenient car park.

Great Malvern Priory Church

Malvern Hills

There are two very prominent features that dominate the town: the Malvern Hills that rise straight up vertically behind the town to the west and Great Malvern Priory right in the town centre and which is also the parish church.

After our first tea and cake at Mac and Jac’s near the Priory and a visit to the friendly, helpful and well-stocked Malvern Bookshop :

The Malvern Bookshop
7 Abbey Road
MALVERN Worcestershire WR14 3ES
tel: 01684 575915 fax: 01684 575915
Open: Monday – Saturday 10.00 – 5.00, closed Thursday and best to ring first in the winter.
Several rooms carrying large diverse stock. Quality books bought and sold. Music a speciality. By the Priory steps near the Post Office.

we decided to head up, straight up, vertically up to St Ann’s Well for lunch.

For me it was well worth the climb to see the original well/spring and enjoy lunch on the terrace. The trees are very tall and block the view from the cafe itself but we had fantastic views each time we stopped for breath and looked back across what must be The Vale of Evesham.

The View as begin our ascent to St Ann’s Well

View as we return down to Malvern

“In bygone days Malvern water was remarkable for its healing virtue, an efficacy that was held to be supernatural. How early the waters gained local repute it is impossible to say; but the fact that the old spring at Great Malvern is dedicated to St Ann, and that the well at Malvern Wells is the Holy Well, carries their reputation far back into the Middle Ages at least; while documentary evidence exists that they were in exceptional request early in the seventeenth century, especially for skin diseases, as public open baths.” So says my rather old copy of Ward Lock & Co’s “Malvern” illustrated guide book.

Surely everyone has heard of Malvern Natural Spring Water – the only bottled water used by our Queen Elizabeth II, which she takes on her travels around the world. Or does she still? There are still many natural springs around the town – some with warning signs.

‘Safe’ Malvern Spring in the Town

Natural Spring Water – but beware!

St Ann’s Well

Simon suggested a slightly less steep descent into town and a visit to Books for Amnesty :

Books For Amnesty
3 Edith Walk
MALVERN Worcestershire WR14 4QH
tel: 01684 563507
Open: Monday – Saturday 10.00 – 5.00.
Large general stock of donated books in all categories and at reasonable prices. Malvern has two other secondhand bookshops.

As we arrived he pointed out to me the world’s smallest theatre building in a converted Gents public convenience. I was intrigued and left the hard core book buyers in order to investigate. I bought a ticket for the five minute show and was entertained by The Deep Sea Diva and Stradi and his Various Voyages amongst others. After the show there is a photo opportunity which I couldn’t resist! [Pictures below]

Eventually we bought ices from the shop next door and headed to a park to eat them in the sunshine and for a final ‘show-and-tell’ of the books we’d bought before going our separate ways at around 5.30pm. We all agreed that it had been a most perfect day. We’ll soon be planning the next one …

The Theatre of small Convenience

About the Theatre

The Theatre

Photo Opportunity!

Houghton Revisited : Masterpieces from The Hermitage

Aug2

Fellow WordPress member Visiting Houses and Gardens wrote about her visit to Houghton Hall and Gardens and remarked that had the pictures not all been sold she would have given the house a five star rating. Well, this summer the pictures, although sold to Catherine the Great, have all been re-hung in the exact locations from which they were lifted 250 years ago. This unique exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the Hall and the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg and a great deal of work has resulted in an exceptional country house visit.

Houghton Hall

Last Saturday my sister and brother-in-law and I studied the Houghton Hall and other websites in order to get a foretaste of the show we were to visit the next afternoon.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-22439230

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/gallery_and_mustard_video_prince_of_wales_says_houghton_hall_exhibition_is_once_in_a_life_time_experience_1_2187869#ooid=V1ZGVpYjpg7VNsOFDKDMBVTYD1rttT6-

No photography is allowed in the Hall so my pictures show the beautiful garden. Luckily we arrived in good time before our timed ticket slot and had time to inspect the Walled Garden in all its glory and have a cup of tea before the highlight of the visit: Houghton Revisited.

Near the Beehives

Waterflame by Jeppe Hein

And here is the flame (source)

Before leaving the Houghton Estate I just had time to take a quick look at the Landmark Trust property : Houghton West Lodge. Not surprisingly it’s fully booked until October.

Houghton West Lodge

Overstrand : Narrow shore with a steep edge

Aug1

Sea-Marge

Pebbles are beneath, but we stand softly
On them, as on sand, and watch the lacy edge
of the swift sea.

Which patterns and with glorious music the
Sands and round stones — It talks ever
Of new patterns.

And by the cliff-edge, there, the oakwood throws
A shadow deeper to watch what new thing
Happens at the marge.

Ivor Gurney, Selected Poems (edited by George Walter) (J. M. Dent 1996).

I came across this poem last March whilst staying in Tewkesbury. Until then I had wondered about the name of the hotel in Overstrand, north Norfolk, where I had booked to stay a couple of nights last week.

Despite growing up in Norwich just 22 miles south of Overstrand I had never actually visited this neighbouring resort of Cromer.

“Overstrand lies on the North Norfolk coast between Cromer and Sidestrand. It’s name derives from ‘narrow shore with a steep edge’. There is a nice walk along the cliff-top path from Cromer which passes the old lighthouse and the golf course. Like it’s larger neighbour, it was once a genteel Edwardian holiday destination – but today has an air of faded grandeur.

Lord and Lady Battersea had a holiday home called The Pleasaunce built here in 1897. It was designed for them by Sir Edwin Lutyens and hosted a number of literary visitors including Arthur Conan Doyle and George Meredith.

Winston Churchill used to stay at the Sea Marge Hotel in the village and this may have provided the inspiration for Jack Higgins’ novel The Eagle Has Landed – which is set in North Norfolk (see Blakeney) and concerns an attempt by German paratroopers to assassinate the English PM. While in residence Churchill had elaborate arrangements in place with Cromer Post Office in case the grand fleet needed mobilising.” Source

The Sea Marge Hotel, Overstrand

Sea Marge Front

Sea View from The Sea Marge

The Sea Marge Lounge

Gallery overlooking the bar at The Sea Marge

Sir Winston Churchill above the Fireplace in the Winston Room

Pleasuance (now a Christian Retreat and Holiday Centre) Front

Pleasuance Side Entrance

Pleasuance Entrance

The Methodist Church at Overstrand designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens

The Church Door

A Visit to The Plot

Jul31

The Plot

Last year at the Cowside Open Day I met Rosy and as we dried the pots in the kitchen together she told me she was reading The Plot by Madeleine Bunting. It’s based on a small parcel of land in North Yorkshire. She mentioned that the name of the plot of land was Scotch Corner and it was just near Kilburn and Sutton Bank. I looked up the name on the OS map and found it clearly marked and, intrigued, borrowed the book from the Library. The author is a Guardian journalist but she is also the daughter of the artist who built a chapel as a war memorial on the plot of land and decorated it with his own sculpture work. You can read more about the book in this Guardian review.

With it having a local interest and the fact that I liked it a lot I recommended it to my local book reading group. Our discussion (it had very positive responses) was held in early June. Observant members of the group had noticed a feature in a recent edition of the Yorkshire Post and brought the clipping along to the meeting. The article finished with :

“The chapel will be open between 12pm and 4pm to visitors and directions can be obtained from Sutton Bank National Park Centre. The chapel is located at Grid Reference SE 526, 814 and it is a 20-minute walk to the nearest parking.“

A quick look at the link to the North York Moors National Park site revealed the dates later in the year when the Plot and The Chapel would be open for viewing.

“The tiny, remote Chapel will be open for the public to see inside on Saturday 18 May, Saturday 20 July and Saturday 14 September this year.”

The group planned a picnic for the Saturday 20 July but I had also mentioned the book to another friend who lives in Cheshire and we’d planned to visit this summer. We invited Rosy to join us and all met up at Byland Abbey. From there it was a short hop to Kilburn and pub lunch outside at The Forresters Arms. Rosy, who lives nearby, took us to a parking place near Oldstead and we walked uphill along the old drovers’ road to Scotch Corner.

At The Plot a small crowd was inspecting the Chapel and there also was the book group; picnicking in the sun. Madeleine Bunting’s brother, Bernard, gave a brief introductory talk and we later looked inside the memorial and the hut that also occupies the small grassy site.

The Memorial Chapel

Carvings on the Chapel door

Lintel above the entrance

Memorial Sculpture

Memorial Stone to John Bunting (at entrance to Chapel)

We soon began to feel the need of a cup of tea and piece of cake so returned to the car and to Kilburn where the Mouseman T Shop was able to supply both in ample quantities.

The Wandering Walsers

Jul30

Wondering what to do in Liechtenstein besides visiting the Postage Stamp Museum in the capital Vaduz I read the following lines in the Liechtenstein section of my Rough Guide to Switzerland :

“… pretty TRIESENBERG, perched on a sunny hillside above the Rhine [is] best known as the adopted home of a community of Walser people, who left their homes in [Canton] Wallis (German-speaking Valais) in the thirteenth century to spread across central Europe. Many of the houses are wooden chalets built in the Walser style. The modern, well-presented Walser Heimatmuseum documents Walser history and culture.”

The spread of Walsers in Switzerland

The Distribution of Walsers in eastern Switzerland, Liechtenstein and western Austria

Key to Above Two Maps

1. German-speaking Valais : original homeland

2. Settled by Walsers

3. Settled in the past by Walsers (nowadays have a different dialect)

I had heard of this resettlement of the Walliser folk in other areas of Graubünden during my stay (St Antonien and near Davos) but was very surprised to see a map at the museum showing the extent of the diaspora.

There’s also a 400 year-old Walser house preserved in Triesenberg and open to the public occasionally. It wasn’t open on the day of my visit.

The Walser House in Triesenberg

If I find myself with a few hours to spare next time I’m in Liechtenstein I’ll give the Walser Sagen Weg walk a go.

Heidi’s Years of Learning and Travel

Jul27

After our morning at the dramatic Tamina Gorge and fascinating Bad Pfäfers Museum we returned by Schluchtenbus to Bad Ragaz town centre for a lunch in the sunny main square – a Swiss speciality cheese and onion tart with salad. We then caught a local post bus to Maienfeld just a few miles away.

Agnes’s Version of Heidi : Lehr- und Wanderjahre

Maienfeld was the inspiration to Joanna Spyri for her Heidi books; the first of which had the same title as this post. From the train and bus station it’s just a few steps to the Heidi Shop and Wine Bar [Maienfeld is in a significant Swiss wine-growing region]. The shop stocks every kind of souvenir thinkable with a Heidi connection and is surprisingly kitsch for Switzerland. There is also, naturally, a wide choice of Heidi titles and editions in various languages. This region “Heidiland” is relentlessly marketed throughout the area and throughout Switzerland in general and overseas.

The Heidi Shop and Wine Bar

Various Heidi titles for sale

Original Heidi Marketing Logo

Today’s Logo Version

We took the route marked uphill towards the Heidi House and Johanna Spyri Museum. It’s a quiet road and track and steepish in places with no-one else about.

The Heidi Way is in this direction

The quiet track up to Dörfli

So we were surprised as we neared the house to see crowds of people. On our alternative route back to Maienfeld we passed a big bus and car park from where the nations of the world had emerged with just a short, level path to the ‘village’ – Dörfli, in the books, but now renamed Heididorf.

Signs in Arabic?

Arriving at the Heidi House

Heidi House illustration from Agnes’s book

Not so much interested in all things ‘Heidi’ Susanne and I wanted to visit the Johanna Spyri Museum housed above (another) Heidi Gift Shop. There’s another Spyri Museum at her birthplace in Hirzel near Zurich. They must have any and all artefacts relating to her as there was very little here, near Maienfeld. Mostly, the museum consisted of information panels, a large collection of old and foreign editions of ‘Heidi‘ and video loops of extracts from Heidi movies made during the last century.

Heidi editions in the Spyri Museum

Johanna Spyri reminds me of Louisa M. Alcott who is famous for her Little Women books but has written and done so much more that is generally not known to the world at large. Spyri was born in 1827 and died in Zurich in 1901. Heidi was first published in Germany in 1879 and was a huge success. It is reputed to be the most-translated book in the world after the Bible and the Koran. But Spyri wrote much more besides and this is otherwise glossed over at the Dörfli Museum although there is a full list of these titles there are no actual examples; just a wall full of old and foreign editions of Heidi.

Descendants of Peter’s Goats? (from the museum window)

After the Spyri Museum and a quick walk around the exterior of the reputed Heidi House we decided to forego the longer walks up to the Heidi Alp and returned on foot to Maienfeld and by train to Schiers.

Further Hiking Opportunities in Heidiland if you have the time and the energy

“To be here is glorious” : The Tamina Gorge in Bad Ragaz

Jul24

Bad Ragaz is famous for its hot springs and the other Friday I met a good friend who is Swiss at the town’s station and we took the special “Schluchtenbus” (Schlucht = Gorge) to the source of these springs and the dramatic gorge itself a few kilometres out of town.

Alten Bad Pfäffers

There’s a small charge for turnstile entry into the Gorge itself where you walk along a narrow footpath – alongside the torrent of a stream and being dripped on from above – to the source of the hot springs itself.

I think the gorge and spring are in happy coincidence with each other since the thermal waters seem to be independent of the rushing stream waters. It was only afterwards that we discovered the supply of free to loan rain capes.

The springs were discovered in about 1240 by two hunters. The monks of the nearby Monastery of Pfäfers recognised the healing powers of the thermal waters. The reputation of the spa spread far and wide and became internationally known and were visited over the centuries by many famous people : Hans Christian Andersen, Joanna Spyri, Thomas Mann to name some of the literary visitors.

Altes [old] Bad Pfäfers is the former monastery on the site and is now a restaurant, meeting rooms, museum and exhibition centre.

The Original Bath in the Museum

Exhibition about Paracelsus

As former visitor, the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke said, “Hiersein ist herrlich” [To be here is glorious]

Do you know Schellen-ursli?

Jul12

Schellen Ursli is the children’s storybook character created in 1945 by Alois Carigiet and drawings of him and his adventures are to be found in all formats in the Engadine area of Switzerland. It kind of reminded me of the Alsatian artist Hansi whose pictures were in every postcard rack, gift shop and home wares store throughout the area.

Last Saturday on our way home from St Moritz and Sils Maria we took a detour into the Lower Engadine Valley to the small Alpine village of Guarda that was the former home of Carigiet. As in Bergün its houses are a wonderful selection of Engadinian art in themselves. There’s a Schellen-ursli path but we didn’t have time for that.

It came as no surprise to me later to read the village has been awarded prizes and distinctions for its beauty. Nor to read on posters throughout the village that a film company was about to shoot some scenes here – it is so authentic.

An Inn in Guarda : Note the Romansch language is predominant here

A House in Guarda

Pretty Window

Another Guarda House – there were so many!

Nietzsche’s House in Sils Maria

Jul11

My knowledge of the life and philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche comes entirely from the writing and TV programme made by Alain de Botton a few years ago in his series Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness. Here is the episode on Nietzsche. In it he visits the house in Sils Maria where FN spent several summers in the 1880s. I was at that house last Saturday.

The village of Sils Maria is in huge contrast with nearby St Moritz with its glitz and glamour. I will however say, very much in its favour, that the setting of St Moritz is simply breathtaking.

St Moritz Bad (Spa) and Lake

St Moritz Lake

Sils Maria is in a no less dramatic situation with a lake and mountains but it also has much prettier architecture, very distinctive of the Engadine region, and a varied and interesting summer cultural programme. Some of it focussing on the Nietzsche House but lots more besides – walks, concerts, talks – many with literary connections.

Some brochures I picked up in Sils Maria

There’s a fantastic library and a huge amount of primary and secondary material at the house and it’s also possible to stay there as a guest and facilitate oneself of these research sources. Read more about the donations to the library here.

Just part of the collection of Nietzsche’s works

A Corner of the Library

Nietzsche’s Room

The View from Nietzsche’s House

World Monument. The Salginatobel Bridge

Jul10

Just outside the village of Schiers where I’m staying is a World Monument – The Salginatobel Bridge. It isn’t UNESCO World Heritage protected as I had originally thought but is specially recognised and has been awarded the honour of being an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

It is little used but has a fascinating history as it looks like a very modern bridge but in fact was built and opened in 1930/31. Robert Maillart, the Swiss engineer whose company won the contract to build the connection over the 90m gorge, was a pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete and this bridge is an outstanding example of his work.

I did come across it by accident on one of my walks but at the weekend friends drove me up to it again to get a better look at it and to visit the viewing platform which I had missed previously.