MALVERN ST JAMES RE-VISITS THE IMPERIAL HOTEL
The main building of Malvern St James dates from 1862 when it was opened as The Imperial Hotel to serve the visitors to the famous Water Cure at Malvern. The Imperial Hotel was recreated on the afternoon of September 13th after Malvern St James was invited to participate in the Heritage Weekend celebrating the spirit of Victorian Malvern. John Dixon of The Malvern Civic Society described it as a ‘wonderful occasion’.
Tea was served in Lawnside, the former Ladies’ Lounge of the Hotel where Jane Wigley-Smith gently tickled the ivories in a Victorian style. The Headmistress’s Drawing Room reverted to the original Conservatory with views of croquet being played on the Quad lawns. There was a grand display of the Imperial Hotel table ware, as well as the original chairs, in the ‘top’ of the Hotel Dining room, now the Abbey Room. This was a massive area ‘of noble proportions’ described in its time as ‘one of the best rooms of its kind in England’
Pamela Hurle, the well-known local historian, welcomed visitors in The York Hall where she explained this addition to the hotel once it became a school. The plaque celebrating the planting of the tree in the Quad 74 years ago by HRH The Duchess of York, the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, was on display.
Amongst the most memorable exhibits were the original Hotel Notices lent by George Chesterton of The Malvern Civic Society and photographs of Imperial Hotel memorial china lent by Brian Iles of Malvern Museum. A plate similar to the one shown was found on the Titanic. A visit to Malvern Museum will reveal the whole story.
Visitors were welcomed by members of the School Prefect team and Lucinda Ellaway-Bell, Saskia Osterloff, Caitlin Walters, Harriet Salt and Catherine Stylianou all helped in Victorian dress and won particular praise. Power point presentations traced the history of The Imperial Hotel using resources from the school’s archives.
The many visitors all valued the opportunity to be welcomed to the school and shared John Dixon’s final thanks –
‘It all added up to a very memorable visit’.
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