You may not have known that one of the earliest and, arguably, most famous, lesbian novels was set in Malvern.

First published in 1928, the book was called 'The Well of Loneliness'.

The story followed Stephen Gordon, an Englishwoman from an upper-class background whose homosexuality is clear from a young age.

She falls in love with Mary Llewellyn, a woman she meets while working as an ambulance driver in World War One, but their happiness isolates them from society. 

The book was written by Radclyffe Hall, who spent much of her life in Malvern and loved its countryside.  

Senior Lecturer in Twentieth-Century Literature and Culture at the University of York Dr Hannah Roche explained the links that the book has to the Malvern area. 

She said: "Hall did not live in Malvern when she wrote and published 'The Well of Loneliness', arguably the most famous novel in lesbian and transgender history, but she made the decision to set Stephen Gordon’s narrative here - in this place that she loved so dearly and that had been so transformative to her personal and professional identity.

"'The Well of Loneliness' is not an autobiographical novel, but Hall draws heavily on her time at Highfield when describing Morton Hall, the Malvern Hills, and the hunting scenes."

Dr Roche explained that Radclyffe Hall turned 21 in 1901 and inherited a large sum of money from her Grandfather.

She added: "With these new funds, she purchased the lease to Highfield House, now Haslington House, in Malvern Wells.

"The young Hall was a keen horsewoman and huntress, and she was attracted by the house’s location—which would allow her to hunt with three packs—and its large stables. (After a hunting accident in Malvern on Christmas Eve in 1908, when she was thrown from her horse Xenophon, Hall would never hunt again.)

Malvern Gazette: The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe HallThe Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall

"Hall gave up Highfield in 1912, when she and her then-partner Mabel ‘Ladye’ Batten moved into a new home in Malvern Wells, the White Cottage.

"Hall kept a menagerie of pets throughout her life, and two days after she and ‘Ladye’ moved into the White Cottage they drove to the station to pick up their beloved parrot Cocky."

Haslington House has now been transformed into a hotel perfect for any book lovers to stay in and explore Hall's history in the Malvern area.

Dr Roche also explained that Hall's early romantic poems centre on the Malvern Hills and surrounding areas such as villages and landmarks that still exist today.