THERE was a great outcry a couple of years ago when the Conservators tried to terminate Mr John Redman's lease at St Ann's Well. So imagine the outrage if they had announced, as they did 50 years ago, that they intended to demolish it.

The Gazette reported that the board voted 10-8 in favour of demolition after hearing that repairing the building would cost over £4,000, when they had budgeted £3,00 for the task.

One member, W S Brettell, said: "The buildings at St Ann's Well and the Holy Well, that latter admittedly not belonging to us, have both served their purpose. Both are rotten and should be condemned. Both are an appallingly bad advertisement for Malvern.

"The board has rightly decided on a policy of buying up and demolishing, wherever possible, old sub-standard buildings on the hills, yet here we have in St Ann's Well, a property already our own, not fit for human habitation, and worse in many respects than any we have purchased for demolition."