East of the Malverns

Scenic route through the Vale of Evesham, Worcester and Great Malvern, with a detour to a lost masterpiece of outsider art.

Hop in, belt up and take the filmic equivalent of a leisurely Sunday drive. Worcestershire seemingly has more than its fair share of pretty villages, historic towns and curious backwaters, but the highlight of the trip is the astonishing Harveydene Gardens. This monumental piece of outsider art was created in a mosaic of shells and broken ceramics by retired engineer Sidney Dowdeswell. Such time capsule footage is all we have left, as the gardens were sadly demolished after his death.

Time has also not been kind to the original colours of this film. Like many other films produced in Eastmancolour, the blues in the surviving prints have faded to leave everything looking strangely pink, with the result that the film looks as if taken on an overcast, foggy day. This nonetheless charming film takes a scenic route through a beautiful corner of the country - so swap the rose-tinted specs for some blue ones and head out on a sunny scenic tour.