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Collections Policy

Malvern Museum is a museum of local history, and its collections policy reflects this. The museum’s Collection Development Policy is in line with the national guidelines and has been approved by Arts Council England.

The majority of the material in our collection relates to the local area, particularly to Great Malvern and Malvern Link.  We also have a number of more general items (for example coins and household appliances). They can be used in displays to support more local items, where these can help to illustrate social history.

The map below gives an indication of the collection area for Malvern Museum of Local History.  The core of our collection is from the towns, villages and sites shown in black text, with occasional items from villages west of the River Severn shown in grey.   Many of these latter villages are in the catchment area of other museums and archives.  Worcester, Ledbury and Upton upon Severn all have museums of local history. There are active history groups in Suckley, Cradley, Hanley Swan, Welland and Castlemorton and at Croome Park (which has a particular interest in airborne trials of radar equipment).  More locally, the Malvern Radar and Technology History Society, MRATHS covers the development of radar and other defence research at the Ministry sites in Malvern, since 1942.

Areas within our collecting range

The following towns and villages are in the collecting area for Malvern Museum:

Map showing the collection area of Malvern Museum of Local History
Map showing the collection area of Malvern Museum of Local History
  • Great Malvern (including Barnards Green)
  • Malvern Link (including the Howsells, Cowleigh and Halfkey)
  • Newland, Madresfield and Guarlford
  • Welland and Castlemorton (parts of the former Malvern Chase)
  • Little Malvern (priory church) and British Camp
  • Malvern Wells and the Upper Wyche
  • Colwall (with the former Schweppes bottling plant) and West Malvern

The geology and natural history collections are drawn from a wider area.  Much of our collection of Silurian fossils comes from the parishes of Eastnor, Mathon and Cradley, as well as the quarries at Storridge.  We also have natural history specimens (shells) collected from Longdon Marsh.

The museum has a number of small, metal detector finds from Hanley Castle and Clevelode (by the Severn).  Malvern Museum works with Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS)  based at Worcester City Museum to ensure that all small finds are properly reported.

Donations and Loans

The museum welcomes donations and loans of material with clear links to the local area. However, some larger items and larger collections may need to be declined because of our limited storage space.  It may be more appropriate to offer these larger items to the Worcestershire County Museum Service (Hartlebury) or to the Worcestershire archive at The Hive.

For large items and collections please contact the curator in advance, before bringing your items to the museum, either via the contact us page, or by leaving a phone message.