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MALVERNS WORLDWIDE NEWS 
 
 
 
Malvern Water Source Rediscovered: North Hill Spring.

Having been lost for many decades, recent incidents and investigation have resulted in the rediscovery of a lost water source in the Malvern Hills UK.

Background:  In the Autumn of 2023 a sinkhole appeared on Link Top Common near the end of Moorlands Road. This is on land belonging to the Malvern Hills Trust (Conservators) and lies at the foot of the northern end of the line of hills that form The Malverns. The sink hole comprised a hole about 6 feet deep at the bottom of which was running water. As time progressed it enlarged and it became apparent that the water had previously been contained in a stone pipe of about a foot diameter which had collapsed into pieces. During the wet winter of 2023/4 the flow was substantial.

There is dispute about ownership and maintenance responsibility for the pipeline. What do we know about the location and origin of the water? It is not recorded in Celebrated Springs of the Malvern Hills (2012) Osborne B and Weaver C., the definitive work on the springs and wells.
 
 
SINK HOLE

There was once a large pond in Moorlands Road. The pipeline runs from the Malvern Hills and perhaps was linked with the pond. 

Worcestershire County Council have confirmed that it is a culverted water course in a 450mm vitrified clay pipe. The pipe is marked "Doulton" suggesting a date between 1853 when Doulton was founded and 1901 when it gained Royalty status with a charter.

In 1877 the North Malvern Tank was inaugurated behind the Clock Tower. This would have been fed by a substantial spring. The spring once flowed down the hillside circa 1870 adjacent to the Charles Morris spout. 

The Highways Authority have apparently dyed water going into road drains and confirmed that it is not road drainage.

Severn Trent Water have indicated that it is not theirs.

Field Visit -   In March 2024 Bruce Osborne and Cora Weaver took a look at the sink hole and the angle of the pipe and followed it uphill. It led to the North Hill Quarry, approximately 100m south-east of the Clock Tower. This suggests that the pipe does not emanate from Tank Quarry or thereabouts.
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The conclusion as to what happened: when quarrying began at the North Hill Quarry, is that the north-east face of the hill was blasted away. This continued until the mid-20th century. If you look at the terrain today, you can see that quarrying also occurred below ground level - it's very boggy there underfoot. The result being that one or more springs were disturbed and possibly the blasting disturbed an aquifer. The outcome was that the bottom of the quarry filled with water. It had to be drained, so the 450mm pipe was installed to allow quarrying to continue. The pipeline was installed S E across MHT land. Cora and Bruce concluded that the pipe descended from North Hill Quarry, via sink hole and N E across Link Common to the pool at the bottom (now gone).  

This raises a number of questions:

1.Is the water a substantial source of unpolluted Malvern water?

2.If so, could it be utilized as a reliable source for bottling?

3.Could it be utilized for a decorative feature or for other commercial purposes?



Dr Bruce E Osborne 

Tower House, Tadworth, Surrey. KT20 5QY.                                                                
                                                             DRAFT  17 March 2024.

 
 
 
 
Malvern Spring Waters flow out from the Malvern Hills in England and trigger abundant life in the surrounding lands, a metaphor for the friendship percolating throughout Malverns worldwide. To discover more about the founding of Great Malvern and the establishment of Malverns across the globe click the banner below. 
 
 
 
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