Edward Elgar’s grave lies in the cemetery at St Wulstan’s church. It is curious that this saint is not better known. Incidentally his name has various versions of which Wulfstan is prevalent.
He was Bishop of Worcester from 1062 until his death, aged a ripe 88, in 1095. It was unusual for a pre-Conquest bishop to remain in post and Wulfstan was the only English born bishop left after 1875. Obviously he fraternised with the Normans but he did much more – 1066 and All That would call him a Good Bishop. He rather remarkably managed to thwart the slave trade operating in Bristol, he involved himself in pastoral duties in his See, attempting to alleviate poverty and, this is where we come in, he took an interest in church buildings. He undertook much large-scale rebuilding work, including Worcester Cathedral, Hereford Cathedral, Tewkesbury Abbey, and many other churches in the Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester areas including Great Malvern Priory. He founded the priory for thirty Benedictine monks around 1085. Today it is a parish church but much remains of its long history.
The squat Norman (early 12th centur) pillars in the nave support a Perpendicular clerestory rebuilt in the 15th century.
The oldest funerary monument is a worn effigy of a knight that Pevsner dates 1240. By way of contrast the windows behind him were installed in 2004 to celebrate the millennium.
The misericords have original 14th and 15th century carving.
The 15th century stained glass is the most complete in England. One window was commissioned by Richard III, another by Henry VII. They tell stories from the bible but are hard to decipher. There are also fine wall tiles, which may originally have been floor tiles, made locally in the 15th century. It is remarkable that so much remains as Henry VIII dissolved the priory. It owes its survival to the townspeople of Malvern who collected £20 to buy it from the crown. Subsequently it fell into some disrepair but was fortunate to have some sympathetic Victorian restoration. It is a pity that there is no memorial to St Wulfstan but that’s something on the to-do list for 2085.