Two schools

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.^[1]

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.^[1][2] The Abbey School was founded in Blockley, Worcestershire and moved to Malvern in 1897 and to Malvern Wells in 1908.^[1] Two of 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.^[2] "The Miss Bairds were remarkable: five spinster sisters all over six feet tall and all to be Head Mistresses."^[2] The girls wore a simple uniform: white cotton shirts, navy blue coats and skirts.^[2] "There were no 'O Levels' or 'A Levels' in those days, and exams were not taken seriously. 'Citizenship' 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."^[2]

The merger

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,^[3] merged with St James's & The Abbey School and the school was renamed St James's.^[1] In 2006, Malvern Girls' College merged with St James's School and was refounded as Malvern St James (MSJ).^[1]

Teaching

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 the mistake would not unfairly impact any grades.^[4][5]

Malvern St James received the highest rating of 'Excellent' in the independent schools Inspectorate Educational Quality Inspection, published in May 2017.^[6]

The Imperial Hotel

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.^[15] 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.^[16] 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 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.^[15][17]

The Edinburgh Dome

The school campus has a listed sports hall – The Edinburgh Dome, so named as it was unveiled by 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 a Grade II listed building.^[18]

Malvern St James Girls' School

• Hon. Beryl Cozens Hardy OBE (1911-2011) first British woman to chair the committee of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from 1972-1975
• Jennifer Kirby, television and stage actress
• Iskra Lawrence, model, activist, and one of the BBC's 100 Women
• Catrina Leung, television actress, singer-songwriter and model

Malvern Girls' College

• Mary Hayley Bell (1911 – 2005), playwright and author of Whistle Down the Wind
• Barbara Cartland (1901 – 2000), novelist
• Jane Davidson, minister for environment and sustainability in Wales from 2007 to 2011
• Melanie Dawes, economist and civil servant
• Imogen Edwards-Jones, author of 'Hotel Babylon'
• Dorothy Fernando (1907 – 1981), Sri Lankan painter
• Manya Harari (1905 – 1969),^[20] Russian born British translator of Russian literature and the co-founder of Harvill Press
• Peggy Jay (1913 – 2008), politician and campaigner, attended briefly^[21]
• Anna Kavan (1901 – 1968), novelist, author and painter
• Dorothy King, archaeologist and author
• Elizabeth Lane (1905 – 1988), first female high court judge
• Caroline Lucas, MP, leader of the Green Party 2008–2010^[22]
• Frances Lynn, English journalist
• Sara Murray, British entrepreneur and businesswoman
• Donna Ong, Singapore-based artist
• Joanna Van Gyseghem, actress
• Tania Long (1913 – 1998), German-born Canadian/American WWII journalist

Lawnside

• Phyllida Lloyd, Director of "Mamma Mia"

St James’s, West Malvern

• Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (1901-2004)^[2]
• Penelope Lyttelton, Viscountess Cobham, businesswoman
• Dame Clara Furse, Chief Executive (retired) of the London Stock Exchange
• Penelope Leach, childcare expert

The Abbey School

• Professor Ursula Martin, computer scientist