the Midland Railway which ran from Ashchurch via Tewkesbury to Great Malvern. This opened on 16 May 1864. With the regrouping in 1923, it became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway. The section from Malvern to Upton-upon-Severn was closed in December 1952. The remainder closed to passengers on 14 August 1961. Freight continued to be carried to Upton until July 1963 and to Tewkesbury until December 1964. All Saints All Saints, the parish church, was built by a local builder, William Porter, to a design by Troyte Griffith – a friend of Edward Elgar who is depicted in the "Enigma Variations". The church was consecrated on 19 November 1903. There is evidence to suggest that Elgar composed part of the "Enigma Variations" in the church, but his offer of the original manuscript of his oratorio "The Apostles", as a gift to the church, was refused by the Anglican church authorities because Elgar was a Roman Catholic and the oratorio was heavily based in that tradition. Next to the church is the Wyche School; "Land of Hope and Glory", set to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1, was first performed there in the presence of Elgar. In later life Elgar came to tire of the work for "its jingoism and the fact it overshadowed everything else he wrote." Amenities The Malvern Wells War Memorial honours local people killed and injured in the First and Second World Wars. It was designed by the Arts and Crafts architect and designer C. F. A. Voysey, and was unveiled in 1920. The village has a petrol station, a convenience store, a post office and several other small businesses. Education Abbey College, a secondary school and English language centre mainly for international students, is found at 253 Wells Road. Primary education is provided by Malvern Wells Church of England School and the Wyche Church of England School, which feed the two Malvern secondary schools of The Chase in Barnards Green, and Dyson Perrins in Malvern Link. Wells House School, a preparatory school for boys, closed in 1991. Transport The nearer of the two Malvern railway stations to the village is Great Malvern on the Worcester to Hereford line. It has services to Birmingham and to London Paddington station. The village is served by a daily long-distance coach service between Worcester and London Victoria. There are regular bus links with Great Malvern and Malvern