Urgent buildingworks to preserve parts of Great Malvern Priory can begin in the summer thanksto a grant of 83,400 received from the Heritage Lottery Fund. A further55,000, from four other charitable trusts, has also been given to the Priory tosupport the restoration works. Work to the North Porch will stabilise thepinnacles, restore the carved detail and clean the stonework. Other major worksinclude rebuilding a decaying section of the West Wall.
Revd Rod Corke,vicar of the Priory, said, I am thrilled with the generosity of the HeritageLottery Fund. The work we need to do is vital and represents the crucial firststage of a wider restoration and development plan. Without help from moneyraised by the National Lottery players and from the charitable trusts, we wouldbe struggling to keep this lovely building safe and welcoming.
Several activitieswill be held throughout the year in order to encourage visitors to enjoy thebuilding and learn about its heritage and the repair programme. Activities willinclude an Open Day during which stonemasons will demonstrate stone carving andmortar repair techniques. In June, hundreds of children from local primaryschools will engage with the popular Lifepath event, in which they will explorethe lives of Benedictine monks who founded the Priory almost 1,000 years ago. Thechildren will experience brass rubbing, hand-bell ringing and building arches,in addition to learning about medieval diets and medicines. Guided tours,displays and musical recitals will also take place inside the building.
It is important forus to open our doors to visitors so that they can see the beauty of thebuilding we so enjoy, Rod continued. We want as many people as possible tocome and join us for musical events, lunchtime talks, entertainments and socialactivities in the church itself.
During late Apriland early May, the Priorys interior will be dramatically transformed to stagea Mystery Play. Mystery Plays were first created to complement the stories toldin stained glass windows in churches. Great Malvern Priory was founded in 1085as a daughter church to Westminster Abbey and has one of the countrys finestcollections of fifteenth and early sixteenth century stained glass.
Rob Swinton, localman and director of the play, said, The play will tell the story of the worldfrom its beginning to its end. As well as actors, I need people to be part of achoir, plus instrumentalists, prop makers, costumiers, and folk to help withthe quick changes.
The cast will beformed of forty-six local people in a variety of roles, in addition to twoprofessional actors who will take on the roles of God and Lucifer. Texts fromthe fifteenth and sixteenth centuries will be combined to produce the scriptand costumes will be modern to show that evil characters still exist in theworld today.
We are verygrateful to the National Lottery players through the Heritage Lottery Fund fortheir generosity, Rob continued. Without their help it would be difficult tostage something which will hopefully bring thousands of people into ourbeautiful building.
To find out moreabout supporting the Mystery Play, meet with Rob Swinton in the Priory at 2pm oneither Saturday 16th February, or Saturday 23rd February.Further details about the Priory and its upcoming events are available fromMary Johns, who can be contacted by telephone on 01684 564 050, or by email on maryrowswell@btinternet.com.
