It might be overstating reality to claim that the Chronicles of Narnia were conceived in Malvern. Yet, legend has it that a late night walk home from a pub on a snowy Malvern night, inspired C.S. Lewis and provided a key plot point for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It was the sight of one of the town’s gas lamps as the snow fell that gave him the idea for the opening description of Narnia. Or so the story goes.
History may have a special place for Malvern’s gas street lights, but surely not enough is made of the role of the pub in this origin story? I have to assume that this was The Unicorn, because there’s a blue plaque outside it that states Lewis regularly met ‘literary and hill-walking friends’ at the pub. I’d imagine that today, this group would meet at The Nag’s Head, because The Unicorn has seen better days.
Those literary and hill walking companions were JRR Tolkien and George Sayer, with whom Lewis was said to be when the whole gas street light thing occurred. All three had strong connections with Malvern and would walk the Malvern Hills together. Local legend has it that the hills and the views over Herefordshire, shaped the landscapes not only of Narnia but of Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings. Take that New Zealand.
I felt like I was in good company when I set off on a pre-Xmas hike to British Camp, the most southerly point on the chain of hills. When you are walking along the jagged spine of the Malvern Hills, it’s easy to see why and how they might inspire great feats of imagination. My imagination was kept occupied by the gale force wind, rain and snow that were lashing me as I headed for the village of Upper Wyche.
The sun and blue skies I had departed under had soon turned to more seasonal weather. The rain passed quickly, but the wind only seemed to get worse as my walk progressed. On the top of British Camp, the only way to prevent being blown to Wales was to lean into the wind at an alarming angle. While I was occupied with this, the sun unexpectedly broke through the clouds and illuminated the whole of the Malverns.
It was quite magical, and on a different day might have inspired me to a work of great literature. Instead, I was more focused on the return hike to North Hill. Only the thought of a pint relaxing in front of the wood fire in the Nag’s Head kept me going. I just had time to admire the earthworks that scar the hillside of British Camp, all that remains of the Iron Age hill fort that once occupied the site.
Around the halfway point on the return journey you have to climb the aptly named Perseverance Hill. The view to the Beacon, the highest point in the hills, was glorious, even if it only served to underscore how far I still had to go. Some time later, I was finally descending the Beacon and skirting around North Hill towards Malvern. This route takes you to The Nag’s Head, where I was met by a non-walker for a pint (or two).
The Malvern Hills have inspired many other literary greats, including A.E. Housman and W.H. Auden, but it was William Langland, the author of Piers Plowman, a 14th century tale set in the Malvern Hills, that first put them on the literary map. Langland is thought to have been educated at Malvern Priory. As night fell, it was here that we headed.
It was just before Xmas and there were festive lights illuminating the town, including a nice Xmas tree on Belle Vue Island. We arrived at the priory just as a service was ending so could have a walk around. There had clearly been some sort of children’s ‘find Jesus’ nativity game. There was just time for a quick one in Weavers, a newish (and good) craft beer bar, before returning to the B&B for dinner.
