Vintage Village
Enjoy a throwback to the good old days in the fabulous Vintage Village.
More Useful Information
Vintage Dance Tent
The Vintage Dance Tent will back with a vibrant, jam-packed program of dance performances, interactive sessions and sensational live music all weekend long! Highlights this year will include free dance classes and performances throughout the weekend and live music by bands and singers. So dust off your dancing shoes and get ready to swing, jive, and sway your way through a magical weekend!
You can also come dressed in your vintage finery and enter the ‘Best Dressed’ competition, or dress up in clothing from 1940s/50s at the show and take part in a ‘Parade by Decade’.
Vintage Fun Fair
Enjoy the Vintage Funfair, featuring rides and games such as dodgems, a Ferris wheel, hook a duck games, a vintage toy vehicle ride, a children’s carousel, tin can alley, a rifle range, funny mirrors, swing boats and coconut shy, plus a test your strength station and Waltzers. Please note, there is a surcharge for these activities.
Vintage Machinery
There is a wide range of fascinating vintage machinery on display, including pre-1940s classic caravans, commercial vehicles, stationary engines and tractors. There will also be old fashioned garden machinery to browse and marvel at!
Vintage Tea Tent
Enjoy traditional cakes, scones and bakes while you catch up with friends or family or take a moment to relax during your busy day at the show.
Wartime Pub
Perfectly recreated in all the trappings of the 1940s, the Wheat Sheaf is the perfect place to while away the afternoon.
Reenactors
Take the chance to chat with Land Girls, wartime Home Front volunteers, soldiers and others about what life was like during the war years.
Home of Heritage
The Home of Heritage Area celebrates some of Britain’s most traditional activities. Here you can learn from expert artisanal craftspeople about some of the skills and pastimes which have survived over the years and continue to thrive today.
- The Bee Fairy – Traditional Beeswax Balm Craft
The Bee Fairy will demonstrate how beeswax produced by honeybees is transformed into handcrafted balms using traditional small-batch methods. You will be able to see and handle honeycomb, raw beeswax, botanical ingredients and finished products while learning about beekeeping, pollination and the role of beeswax in natural skincare and household products. Throughout the show, The Bee Fairy will explain the process from hive to finished balm, discuss the properties of beeswax and natural ingredients, and provide product samples for visitors to experience.
Naomi from Bluebelles and Bees will demonstrate how she presses flowers in her 2ft by 2ft flower press. She will also showcase how she breaks the flowers down small enough to be incorporated into jewellery.
Anna is based in the Brecon Beacons and will provide basketmaking/willow weaving and green woodwork workshops.
- John Deverell Stone Carving
John will provide stone carving demonstrations and have a go sessions.
Toni Cross of The Licky Cow Gallery is a talented willow sculptor and nature photographer whose work is inspired by her time spent in the countryside. Combining traditional willow-weaving techniques with a passion for the natural world, Toni creates striking animal sculptures, garden features and decorative pieces.
Throughout the show, Toni will be demonstrating the creation of a large-scale willow animal sculpture, alongside a selection of smaller works. You will have the opportunity to get involved by helping to weave sections of the larger sculpture or by creating your own small willow creations under Toni’s guidance.
You can also browse and purchase a range of handcrafted willow pieces, including dragonflies, swallows, garden art and larger sculptures. In addition, Toni will be offering prints, gifts and calendars featuring her own nature photography, making it easy to take home a unique reminder of the day.
Valerie Jones – Long Shovel Building Services
Valerie will be demonstrating making pure wool rugs and other goods.
A Handful of Corn
Watch demonstrations of the traditional crafts of basketry and corn work.
Rowe Farm – Victorian Butter Making
Theresa Huxley is a third-generation traditional butter maker who makes butter in her grandmother’s oak end over end butter churn.
While at Malvern Autumn Show, Theresa will demonstrate how to churn double cream, drain off the butter milk, then wash, drain and shape the butter into blocks using traditional butter pats. She will also decorate each block of butter with a distinctive ‘mark’ and explain the history of the Shropshire butter marks that she uses.
You will also have the chance to purchase the fresh butter along with home-made scones, shortbread and jam.
Creative Breaks Hands on Crafting
New for this year’s Malvern Spring Festival, Creative Breaks will be showcasing a range of traditional and contemporary crafts, with visitors invited to watch live demonstrations and try their hand at a variety of creative activities, including:
- Upholstery
- Creative recycling – rag rug making
- Lampshade making
Creative Breaks is a a not‑for‑profit association of artists and crafts people, founded in 2000, to champion hands‑on learning and promote courses run by skilled makers across Herefordshire. Their mission: to help people discover the joy of creating, crafting, and learning from talented artisans.
Claudia Benson, an international sheep and wool judge and accomplished public speaker, will be joining us at the Malvern Autumn Show with a beautiful display of wet felted and woven rugs and cushions created from the fleece of her own rare breed sheep.
Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the journey from sheep to finished product, while learning about the versatility and sustainability of British wool. Claudia will also be bringing a number of peg looms, giving visitors of all ages the chance to try their hand at weaving their own seat pad or contribute to the creation of a larger community rug.
