OLD GIRLS

Malvern St James holds extensive archives for The Abbey, Lawnside, Malvern Girls' College and St James's School as well as many items from the Imperial Hotel.

The archives range from old school magazines and registers to pieces of uniform. School magazines are full of information: records of the girls in the school, staff and sometimes lists of Old Girls as well as reports of school success in academic, sporting and musical fields. Photographs of House groups, school teams and school photos form one of the most potent links with the past. There is a very fine collection of portraits of former Headmistresses which reflect the commitment of the dedicated women who led the schools and reflect too the changing fashions of the times. Old ledgers and account books provide an insight into the practical operations of running a business as well as large and important estates in the beautiful area of the Malvern Hills.

The archives held at Malvern St James are an excellent record of the founding and development of girls' education from the nineteenth century and reflect the leading role the girls' schools in Malvern took in that process.