GREAT MALVERN

also known as Malvern town, Malvern Hills district, administrative and historic county of Worcestershire, England. Great Malvern was formerly the largest of several villages and hamlets on the eastern slopes of the Malvern Hills but has since grown to incorporate them. Malvern Chase, a medieval administrative entity, was granted to the earl of Gloucester by Edward I (reigned 1272-1307). Little Malvern, with the remains of a Benedictine priory (now the parish church), lies below Worcestershire Beacon, which is crowned by extensive and well-preserved Iron Age hill fortresses. Great Malvern is now an educational and cultural centre, with Malvern College for boys (founded 1862), a further-education college, a school of art, a girls' college, and a theatre. Mineral springs and pleasant surroundings have also made it a popular resort. Pop. (1991) 31,537.