Malvern Girls' College
Encyclopedia
Malvern St James is a leading independent school
for girls in Great Malvern
, Worcestershire
, England
. Renamed in 2006 from Malvern Girls' College (founded 1893) following a succession of amalgamations with other independent schools for girls in the Malvern area, it continues to occupy the same campus as the former college, which includes as its main building, the former Imperial Hotel, which had been taken over for use as a school by Malvern Girls' College in 1919. It occupies much of the land between the two parallel streets of Barnards Green Road and Avenue Road and is located conveniently close to Great Malvern railway station
. The school comprises three sections: a Junior School for girls aged 4 – 11, a Senior School for girls aged 11 – 18, and a Sixth Form
. Current enrollment is around 360 of which about 60% are boarders who are accepted from the age of 7. A November 2009 Ofsted
inspection rated the school as Grade 1 (Outstanding).
in 1902. The Abbey School was founded in Blockley
, Worcestershire and moved to Malvern in 1897 and to Malvern Wells
in 1908. In 1979 the two schools merged on the West Malvern campus of St James, and the resulting school was named St James's and The Abbey. In 1994 Lawnside School which was founded at beginning of the nineteenth century merged with St James's and The Abbey School, and the school was renamed St James. In 2006, Malvern Girls College merged with St James's School, and was refounded as Malvern St James (MSJ).
Following the collapse of the spa industry, many of the hotels were acquired for use as private boarding schools, and education became the basis of Malvern's economy; the Imperial Hotel was purchased by the school in 1919. The area was well suited for schools due to its established attractive environment and the possibility of children being able to travel unaccompanied with their trunks by rail to their boarding schools near the stations. The former hotel is directly opposite Great Malvern railway station, with its dedicated (now derelict) tunnel to the basement of the building, which is clearly visible from both platforms of the station. The red brick and stone Imperial Hotel which had been the largest in Malvern during the town's heyday as a spa in the second half of the 19th century, is still one of the largest buildings in Malvern and was built in 1860 by the architect E. W. Elmslie who also designed the Great Malvern railway station, the Council House, and The Grove in Avenue Road in 1867, originally to be his private residence which in 1927 became part of the Lawnside School for girls. The Imperial was the first hotel to be lit by incandescent gas. It was equipped with all types of baths and brine was brought specially by rail from Droitwich. In 1934 the building was extended with the addition of the York Hall, and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. It consists of a round, green, balloon-shaped building, containing squash courts, a gym area and a large games area, all surrounded by a moat. Based on an innovative roof construction by Dr Dante Bini, the Bini Dome (or Parashell) at Malvern St James is unique in the United Kingdom. It was built in 1977 by architect Michael Godwin, and consultant engineer John Faber and opened in 1978. On the advice of English Heritage
it has been designated a Grade II listed building.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
for girls in Great Malvern
Great Malvern
Great Malvern is an area of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is the historical centre of the town, and the location of the headquarters buildings of the of Malvern Town Council, the governing body of the Malvern civil parish, and Malvern Hills District council of the county of...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Renamed in 2006 from Malvern Girls' College (founded 1893) following a succession of amalgamations with other independent schools for girls in the Malvern area, it continues to occupy the same campus as the former college, which includes as its main building, the former Imperial Hotel, which had been taken over for use as a school by Malvern Girls' College in 1919. It occupies much of the land between the two parallel streets of Barnards Green Road and Avenue Road and is located conveniently close to Great Malvern railway station
Great Malvern railway station
Great Malvern railway station serves the line between Worcester and Hereford. It is situated close to the centre of Great Malvern, England. It is one of two stations serving the town of Malvern, the other being Malvern Link station...
. The school comprises three sections: a Junior School for girls aged 4 – 11, a Senior School for girls aged 11 – 18, and a Sixth Form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
. Current enrollment is around 360 of which about 60% are boarders who are accepted from the age of 7. A November 2009 Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
inspection rated the school as Grade 1 (Outstanding).
History
Malvern Girls' College was founded in 1893 by Miss Greenslade and Miss Poulton, and was first located in College Road. In 1919 they acquired the Imperial Hotel and in 1934, a major extension including an assembly hall was built. Further extensions included the Hatfield building in the 1960s, the Edinburgh Dome in 1977 and The Science Education Centre in 1998. St James's School was founded in the south of England by Alice and Katrine Baird in 1896 and moved to the large mansion of Lady Howard de Walden in West MalvernWest Malvern
West Malvern is a village and a civil parish on the west side of the north part of the Malvern Hills at the western edge of Worcestershire, administered by the Malvern Hills District , and part of the informally defined area often referred to as the Malverns...
in 1902. The Abbey School was founded in Blockley
Blockley
Blockley is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, about northwest of Moreton-in-Marsh. Until 1931 Blockley was an exclave of Worcestershire....
, Worcestershire and moved to Malvern in 1897 and to Malvern Wells
Malvern Wells
Malvern Wells is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England. The parish of Malvern Wells, once known as South Malvern, was formed in 1894 from parts of the civil parishes of Hanley Castle, Welland, and the former parish of Great Malvern, and owes its...
in 1908. In 1979 the two schools merged on the West Malvern campus of St James, and the resulting school was named St James's and The Abbey. In 1994 Lawnside School which was founded at beginning of the nineteenth century merged with St James's and The Abbey School, and the school was renamed St James. In 2006, Malvern Girls College merged with St James's School, and was refounded as Malvern St James (MSJ).
The Imperial Hotel
The Edinburgh Dome
The school campus was host to one of the most interesting sports halls ever constructed: The Edinburgh Dome, so named as it was unveiled by the Duke of EdinburghDuke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. It consists of a round, green, balloon-shaped building, containing squash courts, a gym area and a large games area, all surrounded by a moat. Based on an innovative roof construction by Dr Dante Bini, the Bini Dome (or Parashell) at Malvern St James is unique in the United Kingdom. It was built in 1977 by architect Michael Godwin, and consultant engineer John Faber and opened in 1978. On the advice of English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
it has been designated a Grade II listed building.
Malvern Girls College
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, Politician and campaigner - Anna KavanAnna KavanAnna Kavan was a British novelist, short story writer and painter.-Biography:...
, author - Elizabeth LaneElizabeth LaneDame Elizabeth Lane, DBE was one of the first women to practise as a barrister in the United Kingdom.Born Elizabeth Kathleen Coulborn, she was called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1940...
, first female high court judge - Tania LongTania LongTatiana Long was an American journalist and war correspondent during WWII.-Early life:...
, WWII journalist - Caroline LucasCaroline LucasCaroline Patricia Lucas is a British politician. Lucas is the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and the Green Party's first and only Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom...
, MP, leader of the Green Party - Frances LynnFrances Lynn-Biography:Lynn was born in St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington in London, and was educated at Malvern Girls' College.In 1977, Lynn started her journalistic career when she became the film editor and gossip columnist for the now defunct Ritz Newspaper, published by David Bailey. Interview subjects...
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, actress - Donna OngDonna OngDonna Ong is a Singapore-based, Singaporean-artist. Her father is Singapore sculptor Michael Ong.Ong attended Malvern Girls' College in the United Kingdom. She studied architecture at the Bartlett Centre in University College London from 1996 to 1999...
, artist - Sarah Staniforth, Director of the National Trust Properties
- Joanna Van GyseghemJoanna Van GyseghemJoanna Van Gyseghem is an English actress, educated at Malvern Girls' College and Trinity College, Dublin....
, actress - Aminatta Forna, writer and activist
- Mohni Mohsin, novelist
St James, West Malvern
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, Duchess of Gloucester, - The daughters of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, the founders of the Scout and Guide movements were pupils at St James's.
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, child care expert.