The decision has been made to send the archives of Worcester's most famous son, Edward Elgar to London.

The collection of papers and letters is currently housed at the Elgar Birthplace Museum at Lower Broadheath a few miles outside the city.

But the manager of Worcestershire County Council's archives manager Dr Adrian Gregson has been told by the owners of the collection, the Elgar Foundation, that it intends to send the papers to the British Library in London.

Dr Gregson, who is also deputy leader of Worcester City Council, said: "I wrote a report for the foundation about a month ago explaining why we wanted to house the collection at the Hive in Worcester.

"I've received a response which tells me that the committee has decided to send the papers to London instead."

He added: "We are very dismayed at this decision. Elgar is Worcestershire. The idea that the papers, which have been here since 1966 would be better placed in London, taken away from the beauty here that so inspired Elgar' works is frightening really."

One of the reasons for the dismay is that The Hive in central Worcestershire is already a nationally acclaimed archive, which holds thousands of important documents including international treasures such as William Shakespeare's marriage bond.

Elga's papers were first lodged with the county record office in 1966 but were moved to the birthplace museum in 2002.

Worcestershire County Councillor Lucy Hodgson, who also sits on Worcester City Council, is the authority's cabinet member for communities, and has political responsibility for the archaeological and archival service.

She said: "I'm incredibly disappointed that the foundation has taken this decision.

"We have in Worcestershire an exemplary archival service - it is the working archival service of the year and it is supported by the national Archive."

Cllr Hodgson said the Elgar Foundation believed that holding the archive in London would make it easier for scholars and visitors from across the country and internationally to access it.

She added: "It's disappointing, we've just had the Elgar festival this past weekend and that was attended by very many Elgar scholars from across the world.

"There was one gentleman who flew a long way and brought his collection with him. It seems a strange decision so take the archives away from a place so closely associated with Elgar.

The Elgar Foundation has been contacted for comment, but at the time of going to press had not responded.

Edward Elgar was born in Lower Broadheath in 1857 and went to school at Lyttleton House School.

His father William worked as a piano tuner and ran a music shop at 10 High Street near the place where his son's statue now stands in Cathedral Square.

He died in 1934 and is buried in Little Malvern.