Welland is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the administrative district of

Malvern Hills The Malvern Hills are in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern. The highest summit affo ...

in the county of

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

, England. It has a combined parish council with

Little Malvern Little Malvern is a small village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England. It is situated on the lower slopes of the Malvern Hills, south of Malvern Wells, near Great Malvern, the major centre of the area often referred to as ''The Malverns' ...

, with 9 of the 11 councillors. It is about from the town of

Malvern Malvern or Malverne may refer to: Places Australia * Malvern, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide * Malvern, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne * City of Malvern, a former local government area near Melbourne * Electoral district of Malvern, an e ...

, 15 miles from the city of Worcester, and 18 miles from the city of Gloucester. It is surrounded by farms and

common land Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect Wood fuel, wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person ...

, and is part of the informal region referred to as ''The Malverns''. Welland is a crossroads village in south Worcestershire situated almost mid-way on a minor alternative route between the cities of Worcester and

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

. The village is adjacent to Castlemorton Common and lies beneath the southern end of the Malvern Hills. Its main event is the Welland Steam Rally that takes place each year during the last weekend of July drawing enthusiasts, steam engines, historic vehicles, a steam carnival and militaria to the village. Other points of interest include its view of the entire range of the

, and its quiet

rights of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by Easement#Easement by prescription, prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' ...

. At the centre of the village community is the village hall, Welland Primary School founded in 1876 with a capacity for up to 150 children, and St James Church. The village hall is regularly used for many community activities including an arts & crafts club, over 60's club, local branch of the W.I., dancing, and short mat bowls. It also houses a library with computers offering free public access. Welland Football Club, who play their home games at The Hill Centre, Upton-on-Severn, are members of the Herefordshire League premier division; Welland Reserves play in the Cheltenham League division two, with home games at The Pavilion, Welland. Around 2001 St. James' Church came very near to closing but due to the initiative of a small team led by a churchwarden, it has been totally transformed and is now used virtually every day for various activities besides regular worship. Concerts and drama events are regularly held and attract large audiences. The settlement of

Upper Welland Upper Welland is a small settled area within the civil parish of Malvern Wells, in Worcestershire, England. Lying close to the county boundaries of Herefordshire.It was formed when the upper part of Welland parish joined the newly created Malv ...

falls under the civil parish of

Malvern Wells Malvern Wells is a village and civil parish south of Great Malvern in the Malvern Hills district of Worcestershire, England. The parish, once known as South Malvern, was formed in 1894 from parts of the civil parishes of Hanley Castle, Welland ...

History

Evidence for early human activity in Welland is sparse. Prehistoric occupation is represented by a

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

polished stone axe found at Hill Court Farm, and possible

Romano-British The Romano-British culture arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest in AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, ...

settlement has been identified from the place names 'Burnt Ground' and 'Burn Piece'. During the

early middle ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

Welland lay within the Hundred of Oswaldslow. The place name Welland originates in this period, and is thought to mean 'Wēna’s land'. In 889 Welland was acquired by the

Bishop of Worcester A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

after a grant of land from Ealdorman Athulf, who had inherited the estate from the Mercian king

Coenwulf Coenwulf (; also spelled Cenwulf, Kenulf, or Kenwulph; la, Coenulfus) was the King of Mercia from December 796 until his death in 821. He was a descendant of King Pybba, who ruled Mercia in the early 7th century. He succeeded Ecgfrith, the son ...

. By the late ninth century Welland was attached to the Bishop's larger estate at Bredon, and consequently does not appear as an independent estate in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086.

References

External links

Welland and Little Malvern Parish Council
Villages in Worcestershire Civil parishes in Worcestershire {{Worcestershire-geo-stub