Malvern Civic Society

Friends of Malvern’s Railway

Great Malvern Station
Great Malvern Station - Image courtesy of Railway Heritage Trust

The Friends group was started in 2011 by Peter Clement to create a support group for all aspects of the local railway scene from Colwall to Malvern Link.    Our most recent project has been the refurbishment of the grade 2 listed Great Malvern Station. This was completed in 2022, in which we  collaborated with Network Rail, (who own the station) West Midlands Trains and Malvern Hills District Council conservation department. This has been very successful and widely admired, although there are still some details to complete.  The Civic Society has awarded a best building plaque to Network Rail in appreciation of this project.

We independently  arranged, with the help of the Railway Heritage Trust, for the iconic Victorian platform clock to be updated with an electronic self regulating mechanism as there was no-one available to wind it up.

See Electrification of station clock, completed February 2021.

The group welcomes new members who are interested in the local railway scene.  We meet every two months at the Great Malvern Hotel.

Our Interests

  1. Stations
    1. Great Malvern
    2. Malvern Link
    3. Colwall
  2. Lineside structures. These include signal boxes (two are still working, Malvern Wells and Newlands level crossing) and Malvern Hills tunnel.
  3. Time line. The history of the local railway and stations from 1850 to the present day can be found at  http://www.wychrail.co.uk.
  4. Photo archives. We have a large collection of photos of the station and locomotives over the last fifty years, both in house and at https://malvernrailway.blogspot.com
  5. Talks. Organisations interested in talks by the group should contact railwaytalks@malverncivicsociety.org.uk.
  6. Outings. We arrange an annual outing to destinations of railway interest. Our recent visit to Swindon railway museum was  very successful and we are planning our next one, probably the vale of Rheidol railway at Aberystwyth.  
  7. We have a list of future projects at Great Malvern station including
    1. Lighting project for station
    2. Clearing the stumps of the evergreen trees on the Platform 1 flower bed, both for planting and to improve the view of Elmslie’s very fine bridge. At present West Midlands Trains are declining this request on the grounds that there is a lighting cable on the wall behind.
    3. The local radar heritage group (MRATHs) have opened a very popular exhibition room at the station.
    4. We are continuing to pressurise West Midlands Trains to reopen the currently closed Lady Foley tearoom on Platform 1.
    5. Refurbishment of the worm
    6. Replacement of Running in Boards

Next year is the 200th anniversary of the first  passenger train in Britain, the Stockton to Darlington Railway.  We hope to have an exhibition at the station to reflect this especially how the railway came to Malvern