PREPARATIONS were being made 50 years ago for the first Malvern Literary Festival.

One of the highlights was to be a memorial to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, one of England's greatest women poets, who spent most of her early life at Hope End, between Colwall and Ledbury.

"The memorial, which will take the form either of a plaque to be affixed on the remaining portion of the house once occupied by the Barrett family, or the planting of a tulip tree in the gardens to replace one immortalised in Miss Barrett's poems, will be presented by some of her admirers," the Gazette reported.

The festival was organised by Malvern Writers' Circle, under the patronage of the local MP Sir Rupert de la Bere (also the Lord Mayor of London) and with the whole-hearted support of Poet Laureate John Masefield, who came from Ledbury.

Foyles, the famous London booksellers, were hosting the festival's opening luncheon and a play by local author Austin Stone was staged.

Among the illustrious writers invited were historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, author of The Last Days of Hitler, who died just a few weeks ago, J B Priestley and T E B Clarke, who wrote the classic Ealing comedy films Passport to Pimlico and The Lavender Hill Mob.