Landscapes of Mental Health: The Archaeology of St Wulstan’s Local Nature Reserve, Malvern, England

The St Wulstan’s Local Nature Reserve was developed in 1997, on the site of a former military hospital built for US military casualties of the Second World War D-Day landings and subsequent actions. After the war, the hospital was absorbed by the NHS, closing in 1986, with subsequent site redevelopment including the nature reserve. The planting of the reserve partly aimed to preserve something of the hospital’s heritage, through the use of trees and shrubs from the former hospital grounds. This paper presents part of a four year research project at the University of Worcester, investigating the archaeology of nature reserves and landscapes in Worcestershire and the elsewhere in the UK. The paper explores the ways in which the environment has been used to enhance and improve mental well-being. It then describes the history of both the original St Wulstan’s Hospital and the more recent nature reserve, going on to describe the present research project and present interim results from its first year. The discussion explores the ways in which the St Wulstan’s Local Nature Reserve may be considered a healing environment, and how such studies can assist with the understanding of post-war environmental changes.