Malvern, Morgan, and Worcester

There was early morning rain but it ws due to clear. The hotel seemed a lot busier when we went down to breakfast. This was probably because all of the golfers who usually out on the course had decided on breakfast and a late start to avoid the rain. We were in no hurry so it made no difference to us.

Mid morning we headed towards Malvern. We had booked a tour of the Morgan Motors factory. Whilst I think their cars look lovely in a retro kind of way, they are not cars I would ever really have entertained for us. They are, however, hand built and we were intrigued to see the process.

We gathered in the coffee shop and were handed headsets so that we could hear the guide (Mike) over the sound of the tools. The tour started with an introductory video and we were then taken across to the factory site (about 100 yards away). Mike showed the aluminium shells stacked up, waiting to be turned into the final car - a process that took about two weeks in all. We were then taken to the top of the site and worked our way down through each of the sheds, following the progress that the cars would make. We saw the engines (supplied by BMW) stripped of the electronics and fitted with Morgan’s own electronics, we saw the suspension being built, we saw the frames on “the spit” where they could be rotated over 360 degrees so that they could be worked on in comfort. We then moved on to the next shed where the panels were shaped and fitted to the frames. 

Here they also pressed the air vents into the bonnets using huge presses that were controlled purely by eye. The next shed showed the fitting of ash frames to the shell and the area where the master cabinet maker (and his apprentice) formed shaped and veneered the dashboards. Across the other side of the yard was the upholstery shop where all of the leather work was done. Hides were stitched and turned into the seats (with bespoke patterns and stitching, if required), the tonneau covers were made and fitted to their frames, and the car assembly was finished before being taken back across the yard to the pre-delivery inspection area. 

The tour finished in their Archive/Museum. Whether you are a Morgan aficionado or not, this is a tour well worth a couple of hours of your time. It is great to see traditional craftsmanship and such pride in their work.

And no… we didn’t buy one

From Malvern, we headed up to Worcester. We didn’t have a particular objective but we both like the City and thought it would be nice to have a wander about. We parked down by The Old Rectifying House (a once great restaurant, flooded once too often and now turned into a Turkish restaurant) and then wandered up into town. 

It’s 15 years since Worcester was my home from home during the week and it has clearly changed a great deal. There appears to be a rule in the City that every 3rd shop has to be a barbershop or hairdresser. Intervening shops can be vape shops or tattoo parlours. Having said that the town centre seemed to be very busy as we wandered around. It was good see that The Cardinal’s Hat (Spur 0, as we knew it) has reopened, and the Chinese Chung Ying Garden is still there. Many of the other restaurants that we frequented seem to have fallen by the wayside. We strolled back down to the river and walked along the riverbank for a little way then sat and watched the swans as they paraded back and forth.

Late afternoon we returned to the hotel and had a quiet evening with some fish and chips in the bar. Who says we don’t push the boat out!