Most of the Conservators land falls in two main geological zones:

1. The Pre-Cambrian ridge of the Malvern Hills, with its crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks. The soils of the ridge are very shallow, frequently free-draining and acid. The faults and fissures of these relatively impervious rocks create water-bearing formations and water seeps from these where they meet the sedimentary rocks at the east and west foothills of the ridgeline; these have created the famous springs. Substantial transverse fractures of the rock provide natural breaks through the ridgeline which have afforded opportunities for east-west communication routes. Rock exposures on Hangman's Hill and Broad Down are more calcareous and have been subject to crushing forces, making the lime relatively accessible for the development of calciphile plant species.

2. The Triassic deposits of mudstones to the east of the hills, which have mixed with detritus from the Malvern ridge. The fan shaped spreads of gravels on the lower land has produced highly variable, poor quality soils which have a relatively high water table in places due to underlying slowly permeable red clay and mudstone. This poor quality soil is the probable explanation for the lack of agricultural development in this area and the persistence of common land, notably at Castlemorton and Hollybed. The soils of Old Hills, part of the Worcester Basin, are slightly better.

   The Pre-Cambrian and Triassic solid geology is overlain by Quaternary Drift deposits of varying thickness and importance, with increasing thickness on the low lying commons.

The geology of the Malvern Hills is an intrinsic part of its notification as a SSSI. The Site Management Brief list the areas of importance and their suggested management. Eight areas are highlighted:

• North Malvern Quarry
• Disused quarries south-west of Worcestershire Beacon
• Earnslaw Quarry
• The Malvern Ridge at Upper Wyche
• Broad Down/Hangman's Hill
• Gullet quarry and a small exposure west of Gullet Quarry
• Hollybush Quarry

Landscape Characteristics

The landscape qualities of the Conservators' land has been characterised and fully described in the Countryside Commission's The Malvern Hills Landscape (1993) and in the Malvern Hills Joint Advisory Committee's The Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan (1996). The landscape is not uniform, but a mosaic of vegetation types which change colour with the seasons. Together with the distinctive relationships with the built environment of the urban areas and the more intensive agriculture of the surrounding land, the Conservators' land forms a vibrant core to the Malvern Hills AONB.

Zone 1. Main Hills (North)

This is the highest section of the open, exposed, rounded hill tops of the Malvern ridge and is dominated by Worcestershire Beacon, at 425m. The Hills rise dramatically from Malvern Town and the historic urban fringe impacts notably on the appearance of the Hills. To the north the ridge widens and then falls as a broad spur to End Hill where the slopes plunge down towards the settlements of West and North Malvern. Tank Quarry on End Hill along with North and Scar Rock Quarries on North Hill present a dramatic and dark face to the northerly aspect of the Hills.

The upper slopes and hill tops are predominantly open in character with variations in the vegetation mosaic visible from some distance. The lower slopes are well wooded with woodland creeping higher up the hills along the valleys. Trees play an important role in softening the transition between the built and natural environment by screening buildings and roads in addition to linking the hills with the town. Evergreen exotics, numerous in the urban fringe particularly on the eastern side, become less frequent moving up the hills from the town. Significant amounts of naturally regenerating trees and scrub are evident adjacent to and above the woodland edge. Towards the Wyche, on the southerly slopes of Summer Hill, the woodland and scrub creep right up to the ridge top path. Historic springs and wells are notable elements of the lower slopes and along with historic viewpoints from within the woodland, further reinforce the Victorian connections.

The Victorian legacy includes a network of well constructed paths leading up to and crisscrossing the Hills, but generally circumventing the tops. The quantity and quality of these paths, combined with the ease of accessibility they engender, creates a more formal character and introduces an urban parkland atmosphere into the landscape. The use of local materials, such as Malvern stone does much to negate the negative impacts of associated works such as retaining walls. The frequency of informal footpaths running up to and between the peaks, indicates the pressure the landscape is under and further detracts from the 'natural' appearance of the hills. The origins of the paths on the hills are varied, for example, ancient trackways, derived from sheep walks, purpose built paths and accommodation trackways. Many paths which appear on old photographs are disappearing, others are created from informal use.

Despite the introduced formality, the tops of the hills still retain a wild character, reinforced by the exposure to the elements and the availability of extensive views. The steeper hill sides have fewer informal paths, probably due to both the physical aspect and the nature of the vegetation which tends to be more impenetrable and scrubby. As the ridge narrows toward the Wyche, the dominance of the ridge top path becomes more evident. The limit of built environment is, for the most part, coterminous with the spring line and produces a remarkably constant upper limit of development, which is particularly striking at night due to street lighting.

The important features of the Main Hills (North) zone are:

• Distinctive silhouette, dominating the surrounding landscape;
• Exposed, bare upper slopes affording panoramic views;
• Densely wooded lower slopes;
• Victorian influences and connections;
• Limit of built environment and historic urban fringe;
• Old quarries and springs.

Zone 2. Main Hills (Central)

The central section of the Hills, from the Wyche to British Camp/Herefordshire Beacon, takes in Perseverance Hill, Pinnacle Hill and Black Hill. This is an extremely well used section of the hills as easy access is engendered by the minimal climb to the top of the ridge provided at the Wyche and from the car park on the western flank of Black Hill. For many, it is from here that the first glimpse of the stunning views over the surrounding countryside is seen, with the landscape differences between Worcestershire and Herefordshire easily distinguishable. Looking southwards from on the ridge, British Camp/Herefordshire Beacon is the dominant feature in the landscape. The ridge is narrower in this section, resulting in a more prominent and eroded ridge top path, with numerous smaller paths running up from the car parks, access points and lower level footpaths.

Malvern Wells lies along the bottom eastern edge of the hills, but the development is screened from the hill-tops by dense woodland. The hill top vegetation superficially appears similar to that of the northern section, although the influence of the historic urban fringe is less pronounced except around Wynds Point. Bracken appears far more commonly on this section, in places leaving only a narrow band of grassland on the ridge top.

The eastern edge is densely wooded at lower levels with regenerating woodland and scrub spreading up the flanks of the hills, reaching the ridge top adjacent to Third's Wood and on Black Hill. Jubilee Drive affords spectacular views and glimpses through the trees of the Herefordshire countryside and, for the most part, is screened from the ridge by woodland. The woods between Holy Well and Eaton Road are especially notable. The woodland has the additional benefit of reducing vehicular noise from the road.

The important features of the Main Hills (Central) Zone are:

• Distinctive silhouette, dominating the surrounding landscape;
• Exposed, bare upper slopes affording panoramic views;
• Densely wooded lower slopes;
• Old quarries and springs.

Zone 3. Main Hills (South)

The well-known terraced silhouette of British Camp/Herefordshire Beacon dominates the south end of the Malvern ridge. The hills here are much more densely wooded, with mature woodland reaching higher up the hill sides. The woodland is more natural in character, with fewer conifers. The mature woodland of Holly Bush Roughs on land managed by the Conservators envelopes the top of Midsummer Hill , which is owned by the National Trust. The wooded lower slopes and hillsides ease the transition from wilder tops to surrounding pastoral land at the southern tip of the hills. The largest continuous area of woodland owned by the Conservators occurs at Hollybush Roughs. The most southerly hills are noted for their tranquillity and general absence of intense visitor pressure.

The Ancient Monument of British Camp/Herefordshire Beacon is predominantly covered with grass although scrub, especially bramble, creeps up around the edges. The ramparts exhibit evidence of erosion and the major paths to the top have both been surfaced, with concrete from the north side and with concrete and stone on the south side, introducing a degree of formality.

The open aspect of Castlemorton Common (Zone 5) below the east scarp is reinforced by the sweeping, unenclosed rise up to Swinyard Hill, although mowing of bracken on the slopes adjacent to the Gullet Quarry introduces angular patterns and lines into the landscape.

Water is a significant, albeit minor and dispersed, element in the landscape in this section. The water bodies are artifacts: the Severn Trent reservoir at British Camp/Herefordshire Beacon, and the water filled quarries at Gullet and Hollybush Quarries( the latter owned by Eastnor Castle Estate).

Important features of the Main Hills (South) are:

• Distinctive silhouette dominating the surrounding landscape, especially British Camp/Herefordshire Beacon;
• Exposed, bare upper slopes affording panoramic views of the surrounding countryside;
• Densely wooded lower slopes and hill sides;
• Old quarries and associated water bodies;
• Less formal paths, for the most part;
• Greater perception of 'naturalness';
• Rich vegetation mosaics are pleasing to the eye;
• Tranquillity and varied woodland cover of White Leaved Oak;
• Occasional yew and frequent large holly trees are distinctive components of woodland in this zone.

Zones 4 and 5. Hollybed Common and Castlemorton Common

These large contiguous areas of gently undulating lowland common to the east of the Malvern ridge are a unique and important landscape, extending to nearly 250 hectares. The large tracts of unfenced common are bounded by irregular areas of enclosed holdings of cottages and farms, with small fields, orchards, dense hedgerows and numerous hedgerow trees. A complex vegetation mosaic, which also varies in scale locally, diversifies the open aspect of the grassland: encroaching scrubs, naturally regenerating trees, damp bracken hollows and pollarded trees. Pollarded black poplars and willows, associated with the small streams and ponds, are important characteristics.

The uninterrupted 'flow' of grassland from Castlemorton Common up to the main ridge at Swinyard Hill retains a wild character, spoiled in appearance only by the linear patterns in the vegetation due to the mechanical cutting of scrub and bracken. This is evident in other areas of the commons and is particularly obvious where selected thorn bushes and trees are retained. The uninterrupted views of the ridge are spectacular.

Cars are often parked and driven onto the common creating some erosion and unofficial tracks on the grassland. To counteract this the Conservators have constructed small roadside ditches which blend in with the open aspect of the land and, in terms of their impact on the landscape, are preferable to the placing of large boulders. Roadside parking also causes erosion and damage to the common. Overhead service lines to surrounding properties detract from the open aspect of the landscape.

Important features of Castlemorton and Hollybed Commons are:

• Distinct areas of rough open common land with vegetation mosaics;
• Unfenced land bounded by irregular enclosed holdings with hedges and hedgerow trees;
• Ponds, streams, ditches and associated pollarded trees, of which the black poplars are nationally significant;
• Extensive views.

Zone 6. Malvern Commons and Verges

A significant feature in the urban environment, the commons and verges provide visually important areas of open space contributing to the green and spacious appearance of the town. Urban parkland in character, the gently undulating commons also form a transition zone between the built environment and the adjacent rural land at the edges of the town. The wider road verges act as green corridors through the urban area. Each of the commons has its own distinctiveness.

The commons are predominantly unimproved grassland with a mainly mown sward, often bisected by roads and footpaths. Some stock grazing occurs at the upper and lower parts of Malvern Common (also known, respectively, as Wells and Poolbrook Commons). Trees on the commons, planted primarily as roadside avenues or small peripheral isolated clumps, contribute greatly to the tree cover of the town. The selected species, for example the limes in avenues, further reflect the Victorian legacy. The age class of many of the trees is similar and many are at maturity or approaching senescence. The Conservators have undertaken replacement tree planting on some commons.

Litter and vandalism of park furniture can detract from the appearance of these open spaces, but for the most part these are not significant issues. Dog fouling is an issue, although the results of the recent Malvern Hills District Council's orders regarding dogs are yet to be assessed. The enjoyment of the open nature of the commons can be impaired by exhaust and noise pollution from vehicles travelling on the bisecting roads, especially where there is an absence of roadside trees such as on the Malvern Common/ Poolbrook road area. A case has been made out for verge tree planting in this area, but the counter argument is that this is the only urban area with the potential for a complete continuity of view from the low-lying commons to the hill-top.

Important features of the Malvern Commons and Verges Zone are:

• Unenclosed areas of open space;
• Important informal recreational sites;
• Roadside avenues and other urban tree cover;
• Large stature of selected tree species;

Zone 7. Old Hills

Rising gently out of the Severn plain, Old Hills is a large area of common land situated to the north east of Malvern. The area is bisected by the B4424 highway, off of which are the principal access points. To the east, the land is more steeply sloping and mostly scrub and woodland, with less evidence of public use. To the west, the land is more gently undulating, with a central area of open grassland surrounded by scrub, clumps of gorse, rough grassland and scattered trees. New tree planting is evident on the periphery of the higher ground. Wet flushes, as well as streams and a pond are present. The south-western edge of the common is bounded by old cottages.

The area affords wonderful views of the Malverns and the surrounding countryside. The perception of the open aspect of the central grassland area is reinforced by the intricate nature of the scrubby wooded slopes and lower areas. The grass is grazed by cattle, sheep and ponies and is one of the few remaining parts of local common land grazed by a small flock of geese. The grassland is mown when grazing intensity is insufficient to maintain the sward and to prevent scrub and tree invasion.

Erosion by vehicular traffic is evident in some places.

The important features of the Old Hills Zones are:

• Central area of open grassland common;
• Intricate nature of scrub and woodland mosaic on slopes and on the western edge;
• Views to the Malvern Hills.

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