84-580: Malvern St James is an independent school for girls in Great Malvern , Worcestershire, England. Founded in 1893 as Malvern Girls' College, it was renamed Malvern St James following a merger in 2006 with St James's School in West Malvern . It continues to occupy the same campus as the former college, which includes as its main building the former Imperial Hotel, taken over for use as a school by Malvern Girls' College in 1919. The school comprises three sections:
168-580: A Grade II listed building . As of the 2023-24 academic year, fees at the school range from £2,915 to £15,410 per term. List of independent schools in the United Kingdom Great Malvern Great Malvern is an area of the civil parish of Malvern , in the Malvern Hills district, in the county of Worcestershire , England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills , a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , on
252-654: A 40-mile (64 km) drive passing some key landmarks from Elgar's life, passes through Malvern. Malvern Concert Club, founded in 1903 by Elgar, holds concerts are held in the Forum Theatre, Malvern Theatres. Its programmes focus on in renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and contemporary music. In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the Malvern Winter Gardens was a major regional venue for concerts by popular rock bands, including T-Rex , The Jam , AC/DC , Black Sabbath , The Undertones , and Joy Division . Many of
336-566: A Prep Department for girls aged 3–11, a Senior School for girls aged 11–16, and a Sixth Form for girls aged 16–18. 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
420-601: A book". The novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Lewis later used that image as the characters enter the realm of Narnia . J.R.R. Tolkien found inspiration in the Malvern landscape which he had viewed from his childhood home in Birmingham and his brother Hilary's home near Evesham . He was introduced to the area by C. S. Lewis, who had brought him here to meet George Sayer ,
504-474: A clean sweep in grades 9-7 or A*-A. A-level results 2019: 44% of grades were at A* and A, and more than one in six students achieved a clean sweep of A* and A grades. GCSE results 2019: 38% of entries scored a 9-8 or A* grades; and 55% of entries scored 9-7/A*-A grades. The school offers full, weekly or flexi boarding. All girls whether they are boarders or day girls are a part of the boarding community. There are five boarding houses each dedicated to caring for
588-434: A coeducational public school , founded in 1865. Until 1992, it was a school for boys aged 13 to 18. Following a series of mergers from 1992 to 2008 with private primary schools in the area it has become coeducational with pupils from 3 to 18 years old. Among its alumni are two Nobel Laureates ( James Meade and Francis William Aston ), an Olympic Gold medallist ( Arnold Jackson ), and leading politicians. Malvern St James
672-569: A commercial hotel, the Assembly Rooms and Gardens, and many excursions on foot, pony and by carriage. Other descriptions of the diversions mention bands, quadrilles, cricket (residents vs visitors) and billiard rooms. The Duchess of Teck stayed, with her daughter Mary (later queen consort of George V ), in Malvern in the Autumn of 1891, joined by Lady Eva Greville. and the Duke of Teck . The Duchess
756-505: A former hotel directly opposite Great Malvern railway station, has a dedicated (now derelict) tunnel to the basement of the building, which is clearly visible from both platforms of the station. In 1900 the former urban districts and towns of Great Malvern and Malvern Link were merged and the area forms the current six (parish) wards that constitute the civil parish of Malvern, which has a town council (based in Great Malvern). In 1951
840-504: A large area in the centre of the town. The Winter Gardens complex is home to the Malvern Theatre , a leading provincial centre for dramatic arts, a cinema (film theatre), a concert venue/banqueting room, bars and cafeterias. For almost half a century, the Malvern Winter Gardens has also been a major regional venue for classical music, and concerts by legendary rock bands of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The Splash Leisure Complex flanks
924-415: A nineteenth-century antiquarian from Worcestershire, speculated that -vern derived from supposed Brittonic words sarn or varn meaning "pavement" or "seat of judgement". The town developed around its 11th-century priory , a Benedictine monastery , the remains of which make up some of the early parts of Great Malvern Priory , now a large parish church . Several slightly different histories explain
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#17331056053281008-524: A regular venue of the Malvern Fringe Festival. The theatre has hosted a range of famous actors over the years including Simon Callow, Nicholas Hoult and Jane Asher. William Langland 's famous 14th century poem The Visions of Piers Plowman (1362) was inspired by the Malvern Hills and the earliest poetic allusion to them occurs in the poem And on a Maye mornynge on Malverne hylles . Langland,
1092-672: A residential spa. Several large hotels and many of the large villas in Malvern date from its heyday. Many smaller hotels and guest houses were built between about 1842 and 1875. By 1855 there were already 95 hotels and boarding houses and by 1865 over a quarter of the town's 800 houses were boarding and lodging houses. Most were in Great Malvern, the town centre, while others were in the surrounding settlements of Malvern Wells , Malvern Link , North Malvern and West Malvern . Queen Adelaide visited St. Ann's Well in September 1842. "Throughout
1176-469: A rest cure in 1809. Chambers, in his book about Malvern, praised Elizabeth, Countess Harcourt (daughter-in-law of the 1st Earl Harcourt ), whose patronage contributed to the development of hillside walks. Bottling and shipping of the Malvern water grew in volume. In 1842, Dr. James Wilson and Dr. James Manby Gully , leading exponents of hydrotherapy , set up clinics in Malvern (Holyrood House for women and Tudor House for men). Malvern expanded rapidly as
1260-678: A school, is one of the largest buildings in Malvern. It was built in 1860 by the architect E. W. Elmslie who also designed the Great Malvern railway station , and the Council House on the plot where Dr. Gully's original house stood. The Grove in Avenue Road in 1867, originally to be his private residence in 1927 became part of the Lawnside School for girls, and in 1860 Whitbourne Hall , a Grade II* listed building, in Herefordshire. The Imperial
1344-471: A spa, with resources for invalids and for tourists, seeking cures, rest and entertainment. Local legend has it that the curative benefit of the spring water was known in mediaeval times. The medicinal value and the bottling of Malvern water are mentioned "in a poem attributed to the Reverend Edmund Rea, who became Vicar of Great Malvern in 1612". Richard Banister , the pioneering oculist, wrote about
1428-412: A specific age group: Batsford, Benhams, Austen, Poulton and Greenslade. 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 former hotel is directly opposite Great Malvern railway station , with its dedicated (now derelict) tunnel to
1512-572: Is also a public library that includes access to many community services. On the Worcester to Hereford railway line is the Victorian Great Malvern station , a listed example of classical Victorian railway architecture close to the nearby former Imperial Hotel by the same architect, E. W. Elmslie. There are many specimens of mature trees in Great Malvern. When Lady Foley, the widow of Edward Thomas Foley , sold off parts of her estate in
1596-812: The A449 which forms Malvern's western extremity along the flank of the hills. In the heart of the town is a statue of the composer Edward Elgar , while other statuary is dedicated to Malvern water. Among the many shops are two large modern supermarkets, both in Edith Walk, formerly a steep and unmade lane that served the rear entrances of the shops in Church Street. As well as traditional high street shops such as butchers, bakers, grocers etc., there are also cafés, bookshops, health food shops , art and craft shops, galleries, antique dealers, delis, restaurants, complementary therapists, charity shops, law firms, and estate agents. There
1680-514: The Dissolution of the Monasteries the local commissioners were instructed to ensure that, where abbey churches were also used for parish worship, they should continue or could be purchased by parishioners. Accordingly, Malvern Priory survived by being acquired by a William Pinnocke and with it, much of its 15th-century stained glass windows. The monastic buildings were taken apart and anything usable
1764-509: The Duchess of Kent (mother of Queen Victoria ) in 1828, all quoted in a review by the medical historian W.H. McMenemy. In his lecture about Malvern at the Royal Institution , Addison spoke of "its pure and invigorating air, the excellence of its water, and the romantic beauty of its scenery". Similar views appeared in the press, Nicholas Vansittart brought his wife Catherine to Malvern for
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#17331056053281848-463: The Duke of Edinburgh . It consists of a round, green, balloon-shaped building, containing squash courts, a gym area and a games area, surrounded by a moat. Based on an innovative roof construction by Dante Bini, the Binishell (or Parashell), it was built in 1977 by architect Michael Godwin and consultant engineer John Faber. It was opened in 1978. On the advice of English Heritage it has been designated
1932-606: The Eye Well , close to the Holy Well , in a short poem in his Breviary of the Eyes (see Malvern water ), in 1622. In 1756, Dr. John Wall published a 14-page pamphlet on the benefits of Malvern water, that reached a 158-page 3rd edition in 1763. Further praise came from the botanist Benjamin Stillingfleet in 1757, the poet Thomas Warton in 1790, and William Addison , the physician of
2016-465: The Malvern Hills . Before the beginning of academic place-name studies, the name attracted some fanciful explanations. William of Malmesbury 's Gesta Pontificum suggests that the name comes from the Latin words male ("badly") and vernat ("flourishes"), implying that it meant "thrives poorly" and that this was used ironically because spiritual life in Malvern was so successful. Jabez Allies ,
2100-672: The Snow Hill Lines . A handful of West Midlands Trains services start or terminate here each day, to/from Worcester & Birmingham. Great Western Railway operate a roughly hourly service to London Paddington via the Cotswold Line and Oxford (some of which run to/from Hereford ) and every two hours (except Sundays) to Bristol Temple Meads via Gloucester . Many Bristol services continue onwards to Westbury & Weymouth . Terminating services (including all from Bristol) generally run empty to Malvern Wells to reverse, then return to
2184-557: The "Metropolis of Hydrotherapy", a Malvern Hills Act had been secured in parliament in 1884 and later Acts empowered the Malvern Hills Conservators to acquire land to prevent further encroachment on common land and by 1925 they had bought much of the manorial wastelands. Towards the end of the 19th century, the popularity of the hydrotherapy had declined to the extent that many hotels were already being converted into private boarding schools and rest homes, and education became
2268-465: The "town to be crowded with 'the most curious specimens of the British shopkeeper and artisan on an outing' ". Following Malvern's new-found fame as a spa and area of natural beauty, and fully exploiting its new rail connections, factories from as far as Manchester were organising day trips for their employees, often attracting as many as 5,000 visitors a day. In 1865, a public meeting of residents denounced
2352-543: The 1800s, she stipulated that all plots around the town centre should be planted with trees. The name Malvern is first attested in a charter of around 1030, as Mælfern , and then in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Malferna . The name derives from the Common Brittonic words that survive in modern Welsh as moel ("bare") and bryn ("hill"); thus it once meant "bare hill". The name perhaps applied originally to
2436-536: The 1840s and 1850s Malvern attracted a stream of celebrated visitors, including royalty." Patients included Charles Darwin , Catherine, wife of Charles Dickens , Thomas Carlyle , Florence Nightingale , Lord Lytton , who was an outspoken protagonist, Lord Tennyson and Samuel Wilberforce . The hydrotherapists came under heavy criticism from Sir Charles Hastings (a founder of the British Medical Association) and other physicians. The extension of
2520-412: The 1929 English première of The Apple Cart , and the world première of Geneva in 1938. In 1956 Malvern held a Shaw centenary week. In February 1965 a Malvern Festival Theatre Trust was set up, and extensive refurbishment was undertaken. J B Priestley presided over the opening ceremony of the first summer season. In 1998, a further £7.2 million major redesign and refurbishment took place with
2604-506: 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 twin sisters Alice and Katrine Baird in 1896 and moved to the large mansion of Lord Howard de Walden in West Malvern in 1902. The Abbey School was founded in Blockley , Worcestershire and moved to Malvern in 1897 and to Malvern Wells in 1908. Two of
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2688-609: The Baird sisters, Diana and Alice, ran the two houses for students: the Junior House, for the girls aged 11–14, and the Senior House for girls above 14. "The Miss Bairds were remarkable: five spinster sisters all over six feet tall and all to be Head Mistresses." The girls wore a simple uniform: white cotton shirts, navy blue coats and skirts. "There were no 'O Levels' or 'A Levels' in those days, and exams were not taken seriously. 'Citizenship'
2772-761: The Confessor, had petitioned the Earl of Gloucester for the original site (of the Priory) in the wood, and cites his source as "Gervase of Canterbury, Mappa Mundi (Rolls ser.)". Large estates in Malvern were part of crown lands given to Gilbert "the Red" , the seventh Earl of Gloucester and sixth Earl of Hertford, on his marriage to Joan of Acre the daughter of Edward I , in 1290. Disputed hunting rights on these led to several armed conflicts with Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford , that Edward resolved. Nott states that Gilbert made gifts to
2856-572: The Head of English at Malvern College . Sayer had been a student of Lewis, and became his biographer, and together with them Tolkien would walk the Malvern Hills. Recordings of Tolkien reading excerpts from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were made in Malvern in 1952, at the home of George Sayer. The recordings were later issued on long-playing gramophone records . In the liner notes for J.R.R Tolkien Reads and Sings his The Hobbit & The Fellowship of
2940-457: The Lawnside School. 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, officially opened by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother . The school campus has a listed sports hall – The Edinburgh Dome, so named as it was unveiled by
3024-486: The London-bound platform. In 2022 Network Rail is spending £8 million on restoration of the platform canopies, sculptures, overhead glazing and ironwork. The work, which will not cause any disruption to services, is expected to be finished by early 2023. The Victorian station clock is now also working following an £8,000 restoration in 2021 after having been stuck for over three years. The work included replacing all
3108-735: The North East (1797), now in the British Watercolours collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum and J. M. W. Turner 's Porch of Great Malvern Abbey . Elgar , a drama documentary made in 1962 by the British director Ken Russell , was filmed on location in Malvern and Worcester. Several scenes were filmed in Malvern at locations including the Bluebird Tea Rooms in Church Street and St Ann's Well in Great Malvern. Made for BBC Television's long-running Monitor programme, it dramatised
3192-509: The Priory, and describes his "great conflict" with Thomas de Cantilupe , Bishop of Hereford , also about hunting rights and a ditch that Gilbert dug, that was settled by costly litigation. Gilbert had a similar conflict with Godfrey Giffard , Bishop and Administrator of Worcester Cathedral (and formerly Chancellor of England . Godfrey, who had granted land to the Priory, had jurisdictional disputes about Malvern Priory, resolved by Robert Burnell ,
3276-687: The Rings , George Sayer wrote that Tolkien would relive the book as they walked and compared parts of the Malvern Hills to the White Mountains of Gondor . Great Malvern is the setting for several episodes in Jonathan Coe's 2004 novel The Closed Circle . In 1969 Great Malvern was designated a Conservation Area by the Local Authority in recognition of the architecture which includes Stuccoed , Classical , Victorian , Regency , Edwardian , Gothic Revival and Italianate styled buildings. Many of
3360-522: The Saturday before the May Bank Holiday since 1993 and various musical and other live events throughout the year. The Fringe aims to be inclusive; bridging the generation gap by providing a varied programme of events for the local people of Malvern aimed at all ages. Works of art in Great Malvern include fountains, statues, and Malvern water spouts by the sculptor Rose Garrard . Among her sculptures are
3444-604: The Sport of England (Lottery) and the Lawn Tennis Association . Malvern Theatres , housed in the Winter Gardens complex in the town centre, is a provincial centre for the arts. The first Malvern Drama Festival, which took place in 1929, was dedicated to Bernard Shaw and planned by Sir Barry Jackson . A number of works have had their first performances at Malvern, six by Shaw including In Good King Charles' Golden Days ,
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3528-480: The actual founding of the religious community. Legend tells that the settlement began following the murder of St. Werstan , a monk of Deerhurst , who escaped and fled through the Malvern Chase , finding sanctuary on the Malvern Hills and establishing a hermitage near St. Ann's Well . St Werstan's oratory is thought to have been located on the site of St Michael 's Chapel, which is believed to have stood on
3612-578: 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. He 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
3696-406: The basis of Malvern's economy. By 1865, the town already had 17 single-gender private schools, increasing to 25 by 1885. The area was well suited for schools due to its established attractive environment and access by rail. Children could travel unaccompanied with their trunks by rail to their boarding schools near the stations in Great Malvern, Malvern Wells, and Malvern Link. The Girls College , in
3780-505: The bordering settlements of Barnards Green , Malvern Link with Link Top , Malvern Wells (South Malvern), North Malvern , and West Malvern . This urban area, along with the hills they surround and several villages, are collectively referred to as The Malverns . Great Malvern is a seat of local government , being the location of the headquarters of Malvern Town Council, the Malvern Hills Conservators and Malvern Hills AONB Partnership, and Malvern Hills District Council . It has many of
3864-443: The cab road at the front of the station. The buildings are in local Malvern Rag stone and follow a French Gothic theme. A particular feature of the station are the deep canopies which are supported by elaborate, cast-iron girders, which are in turn supported by columns with elaborate capitals. These capitals are decorated with high relief mouldings depicting different arrangements of flowers and foliage. The sculptor William Forsyth
3948-482: The country. Although in need of extensive restoration and generally not open to the public, the Worm is itself Grade II listed. The station is served by two train operating companies : West Midlands Trains (who manage the station) and Great Western Railway . West Midlands Trains operate services to Birmingham New Street via Worcester and Hereford every hour and also some services to Whitlocks End and Dorridge via
4032-402: The current Chancellor. A discussion in 2005 about the stained glass windows of Great Malvern Priory in terms of the relationship between Church and Laity stresses the importance of Malvern in the development of stained glass. It refers to "the vast and strategically important estates of which Malvern was a part" in the 15th and 16th centuries, to a widespread awareness of Great Malvern Priory, to
4116-401: The decline in Malvern's popularity as a spa town, many private boarding schools were established in Great Malvern, often occupying the premises of former hotels and large villas. Two large independent 'public' schools – Malvern College for boys and girls and Malvern St James for girls – now remain following mergers of Malvern's many private primary and secondary schools. Malvern College is
4200-565: The early century were part of the music of the town. The opera singer Jenny Lind lived and died in Malvern, and is buried in Great Malvern cemetery. Julius Harrison (1885–1963), who was a contemporary of Elgar and Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music , lived in Pickersleigh Road for most of the 1940s. He was music director at Malvern College and director of the early Elgar Festivals in Malvern. Malvern Fringe Festival
4284-474: The east of the town. Belle Vue Island (a public terraced garden on an "island" between roads) is the finishing point for the Worcestershire Way , a waymarked long-distance trail that runs 31 miles (50 km) from Bewdley to Great Malvern. The town centre comprises two main streets at right angles to each other: the steep Church Street and Bellevue Terrace, a relatively flat north–south extension of
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#17331056053284368-638: The eastern boundary of Priory Park and has an indoor swimming pool and gymnasium. Located between the former community hospital and the Malvern Hills College are the grounds and buildings of the Manor Park Club Multi Sports Complex that provides the Malvern area with extensive indoor and outdoor sports facilities. It is assisted by grants and loans from various bodies, including the Malvern Hills District Council ,
4452-491: The eastern flanks of the Worcestershire Beacon and North Hill , and is the historic centre of Malvern and includes its town centre. It is a designated conservation area in recognition of the special architectural and historic interest of the area. The growth of Great Malvern began with the founding of an 11th-century priory . During the 19th century, it became a popular centre for hydrotherapy and swelled to include
4536-477: The entries were graded 9-7. A-level results 2021: Students achieved 43% of grades at A*, 75% at A*-A, 90% at A*-B and 98% at A*-C. GCSE results 2021: 32% of the entries were graded 9; 54% 9-8; and 74% 9-7. A-level results 2020: Students achieved 31% of grades at A*, 67% at A*-A, 87% at A*-B and 97% at A*-C. GCSE results 2020: 57% of entries scored a 9-8 or A* grades; 77% of entries scored 9-7/A*-A grades and 99.5% of entries scored 9-4 or A*-C. 41% of girls gained
4620-543: The events were promoted by Cherry Red , a London-based independent record label formed in 1978. The Chandos Symphony Orchestra, under the professional direction of Michael Lloyd, has over 100 players. It specialises in performances of major works of the 19th and 20th Centuries. The Autumn in Malvern Festival is an annual event featuring performances of artists of music, poetry, writers and film makers held during October every year. The Colwell and other brass bands of
4704-674: The help of contributions from the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF) , administered by the government Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Theatre of Small Convenience entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2002 as the smallest theatre in the world. Located in a former Victorian public convenience in the centre of the town in Edith Walk in, the theatre has a capacity of 12 people. The theatre regularly hosts puppetry, professional and amateur actors, drama, poetry, storytelling and opera, and has become
4788-576: The hill now called Worcester Beacon, after which Great Malvern was then named. Additions corresponding to the Great part of Great Malvern , made to distinguish the settlement from Little Malvern , are first attested in 1228 ( Magna Malverna , using the Latin word for "great") and 1521 ( Moche Malv'ne , using the English word much ). Great Malvern in turn then gave its name to the whole range of hills beside which it lies,
4872-492: The houses were built during the Industrial Revolution, and Malvern's boom years as a spa town, by wealthy families from the nearby Birmingham area. Following the collapse of the spa industry, many of the hotels and villas became schools, and some have since been further converted to apartments, while some of the smaller hotels are now retirement homes. The Imperial Hotel in red brick with stone dressings, which later became
4956-449: The legend of St. Werstan, with details of his vision, the consecration of his chapel, Edward the Confessor granting the charter for the site, and Werstan's martyrdom. An 18th-century document states that in the 18th year of William's kingship (probably 1083), a priory was dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. Victoria County History describes how a hermit Aldwyn, who lived in the reign of Edward
5040-478: The life of the composer Edward Elgar. The film significantly raised the public profile of the composer. Great Malvern railway station featured in 1975 as the commuter-belt railway station in the first episode of Survivors (1975 TV series) , the post-apocalyptic fiction drama television series created by Terry Nation and produced by Terence Dudley at the BBC . In the late 19th and early 20th centuries following
5124-496: The likelihood of a pilgrimage route through the town. The discussion also mentions Thomas Walsingham 's view that Malvern was a hiding place of the Lollard knight Sir John Oldcastle in 1414. Chambers wrote, in relation to the stained glass, "the situation of Malvern was so much admired by Henry VII , his Queen ( Elizabeth of York ) and their two Sons, Prince Arthur , and Prince Henry " that they made substantial endowments. During
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#17331056053285208-528: The mistake would not unfairly impact any grades. Malvern St James received the highest rating of 'Excellent' in the independent schools Inspectorate Educational Quality Inspection, published in May 2017. The school is divided into four areas MSJ Pre-Prep (Reception to Year 2), MSJ Prep (Year 3 to Year 6), MSJ Seniors (Year 7 to Year 11) and MSJ Sixth Form (Year 12 & Year 13). A-level results 2023: Students achieved 31% of grades at A*-A. GCSE results 2023: 60% of
5292-585: The parish of Great Malvern had a population of 9954. On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished. As Great Malvern is no longer an area with an administratively-defined boundary, it straddles the wards of Priory and (to small extents) Pickersleigh and Chase. The other tiers of local government that cover Great Malvern are Malvern Hills District Council (also based in Great Malvern) and Worcestershire County Council (based in Worcester). The Priory Park with its adjoining Malvern Splash pool and Winter Gardens occupies
5376-470: The railway from Worcester to Malvern Link was completed on 25 May 1859. The following year, "Besides middle class visitors ... the railway also brought working class excursionists from the Black Country with dramatic effect ... At Whitsuntide ... 10,000 came from the Black Country to the newly opened stations at Great Malvern and Malvern Wells. Throughout June to September, day trips were frequent, causing
5460-560: The rising rail fares – by then twice that of other lines – that were exploiting the tourism industry, and demanded a limitation to the number of excursion trains. The arrival of the railway also enabled the delivery of coal in large quantities, which accelerated the area's popularity as a winter resort. The 1887 Baedeker 's includes Malvern in a London–Worcester–Hereford itinerary and described as "an inland health resort, famous for its bracing air and pleasant situation" and "a great educational centre", with five hotels that are "well spoken of",
5544-541: The school was renamed St James's. In 2006, Malvern Girls' College merged with St James's School and was refounded as Malvern St James (MSJ). In 2019, one of the set texts ( Spies by Michael Frayn ) had been removed from the sylabus of the English Literature International GCSE paper. The school apologised and launched an investigation into the incident, and applied to the exam board Cambridge International for 'special consideration' in order that
5628-426: The second half of the 19th century. There are several state-controlled or voluntary-assisted primary schools in the Great Malvern area. Secondary schools serving the area are located in the suburbs of Barnards Green, Malvern Link, and the nearby village of Hanley Castle , and further afield in the city of Worcester. Great Malvern railway station Great Malvern railway station is one of two stations serving
5712-418: The site of Bello Sguardo, a Victorian Villa . Bello Sguardo was built on the site of Hermitage Cottage. The cottage was demolished in 1825 and ecclesiastical carvings were found within it. A Mediaeval undercroft , human bones and parts of a coffin were also uncovered. Although the legend may be monastic mythology, historians have however concluded that St. Werstan was the original martyr. The first prior
5796-513: The station to take up their next scheduled working. There was previously a branch line to Ashchurch via Upton-on-Severn and Tewkesbury . Operated by the Midland Railway , it was closed in 1952. Before May 2022, there was one through service to & from Brighton . This service has since been withdrawn. There is a ticket office and an award-winning café which opened in 1984, named 'Lady Foley's Tea Room', after Lady Emily Foley , on
5880-494: The statue of Sir Edward Elgar and the Enigma Fountain (Unveiled by Prince Andrew, Duke of York on Belle Vue Terrace, Malvern on 26 May 2000). and the drinking spout, Malvhina , also on Belle Vue Terrace, which was unveiled on 4 September 1998. A sculpture of two buzzards by Walenty Pytel was installed in Rosebank Gardens, Great Malvern to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in November 2012. Paintings of Great Malvern include Joseph Powell's Great Malvern Priory ... from
5964-412: The town of Malvern , Worcestershire , England (the other being Malvern Link station ) on the Hereford to Worcester section of the Cotswold Line . It is situated downhill from the centre of Great Malvern and close to Barnards Green . The station retains most of its original Victorian station design by the architect Edmund Wallace Elmslie and is a Grade II listed building . Great Malvern station
6048-684: The town's amenities including the Malvern Theatres complex, the Priory Park, the Splash leisure and swimming complex, the main library, the police station, the tourist information centre, and the main post office. Great Malvern is approximately 8 miles (13 km) south-west of the city of Worcester , on the eastern slopes of the Malvern Hills. The elevation of the town ranges from about 50 to 200 metres (164 to 656 feet) above sea level. The River Severn runs roughly north-south about 4 miles (6.4 km) to
6132-411: Was Aldwyn , who founded the monastery on his bishop's advice, and by 1135 the monastery included thirty monks. Aldwyn was succeeded by Walcher of Malvern , an astronomer and philosopher from Lorraine , whose gravestone inside the priory church records details that the priory arose in 1085 from a hermitage endowed by Edward the Confessor . An ancient stained glass window in the Priory church depicts
6216-513: Was "perfectly enchanted with Malvern and its surroundings" and, with the Duke, visited Malvern College. The Duchess returned to open the new waterworks at Camp Hill in 1895. In 1897, the painter Edward Burne-Jones came to Malvern for the "bracing air", on the recommendation of his doctor, but stayed in his hotel for a week. The 7-year-old Franklin D. Roosevelt visited in 1889, during a trip to Europe with his parents. Fearing that Malvern would become
6300-404: Was a key sponsor of the building of Great Malvern station. She had a waiting room made for her exclusive use at Great Malvern Station, which is now ‘Lady Foley's Tea Room’. The station celebrated its 150th birthday on 23 May 2010 with the unveiling of a plaque and a special train. An additional part of this celebration was the reinstatement of some of the highly decorated lighting columns around
6384-409: Was employed to work on the buildings and designed the metal capitals of the columns which support the canopies above both platforms of the station. At the end of Platform 2 is the entrance to the Worm, an enclosed passageway which leads under Avenue Road into the former Imperial Hotel (now Malvern St James ). It formed a private pedestrian access and is believed to be the only structure of its kind in
6468-406: Was formed in 2006 by the merger of Malvern Girls' College and St. James' School, West Malvern (formerly St James' and The Abbey) and other mergers with local private schools over the last thirty years. It is now the last of the independent girls' schools in the Malvern area. The main building of Malvern St James on the campus of the former Malvern Girls' College is the former Imperial Hotel, built in
6552-569: Was officially founded in 1977 as a reaction to the Malvern Festival which was perceived to be biased towards classical music and appealing towards a national and international audience rather than a local one. It takes place over three days in June as a fringe to the Elgar Festival. The Fringe also organise the Malvern May Day and Parade, an annual community event which has been held in Priory Park on
6636-572: Was opened by the Worcester and Hereford Railway in 1860 and the present buildings, by architect Edmund Wallace Elmslie, were completed in 1862. The Midland Railway and the London and North Western Railway collaborated on the construction cost; the solicitor, Samuel Carter , was also solicitor to both of these major companies. It was later absorbed by the Great Western Railway . Lady Emily Foley
6720-401: Was possibly educated at the priory of Great Malvern. C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien are among the authors that have frequented Malvern. Legend states that, after drinking in a Malvern pub one winter evening, they were walking home when it started to snow. They saw a lamp post shining out through the snow and Lewis turned to his friends and said "that would make a very nice opening line to
6804-517: Was sold off. With the exception of the church building (of which the south transept adjoining the monastery's cloisters was destroyed), all that remains of Malvern's monastery is the Abbey Gateway (also known as the Priory Gatehouse) that houses today's Malvern Museum . The health-giving properties of Malvern water and the natural beauty of the surroundings led to the development of Malvern as
6888-493: 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. Much architecture and statuary in the town centre is dedicated to Malvern water, including the St Ann's Well, which is housed in a building dating from 1813. The drinking spout, Malvhina , by the sculptor Rose Garrard , was unveiled on 4 September 1998. The Enigma Fountain, also by Garrard,
6972-583: Was unveiled by The Duke of York in 2000. Sir Edward Elgar , British composer and Master of the King's Musick , lived much of his life around Malvern and is buried in Little Malvern Roman Catholic churchyard. A sculpture group by artist Rose Garrard comprising the Enigma fountain together with a statue of Elgar gazing over Great Malvern stands on Belle Vue Terrace in the town centre. The Elgar Route ,
7056-511: Was what the Miss Bairds were most anxious to instill; it must be admitted with considerable success--many girls were later notable for lives of public service." In 1979 the two schools merged on the West Malvern campus of St James and the resulting school was named St James's & The Abbey. In 1994 Lawnside School, which was founded around 1856, merged with St James's & The Abbey School and
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