Malvern Girls' College

Infobox UK school
name = Malvern Girls College
size = 300
motto = vincit qui se vincit
established = 1893
closed = 2006
type = independent girls boarding school
religion = anglican
founder = Miss Greenslade and Miss Poulton
street = Avenue Road
town = Great Malvern
county = Worcestershire
enrollment = 300 ish - varied
gender = girls
lower_age = 11
upper_age = 18
houses = 6 at closing
colours = maroon and blue

Malvern Girls' College was a leading independent school for girls in Great Malvern, Worcestershire, England.

History

The school commonly known as MGC was founded in 1893 by Lily Poulton and Isabella Greenslade. The main school and Poulton boarding house were situated in a building which had formerly been a hotel(the Imperial Hotel) in the town's heyday as a spa and resort town during the Victorian era. The other boarding houses were spread in the surrounding area.

The names of the boarding houses were:
* Parkfield (for the youngest pupils)
* Hatfield (for lower-middle school pupils)
* Benhams (for middle school pupils)
* The Mount (for middle school pupils)
* Greenslade (for sixth form pupils)
* Poulton (for sixth form pupils)

In the 1980s the school was much larger (around 500 girls). There were seven middle school boarding houses, all of which housed girls from Upper 3 - Upper 5 (11-16 year olds). These were:
* The Benhams
* The Mount with Ryall
* Ivydene
* Summerside
* Avenue
* Lindfield
* Hatfield

Of these, only Hatfield was purpose-built a structure based around hexagonal shaped rooms. The rest were converted houses, including the house in which the school was originally founded - Ivydene Hall. Day girls were all assigned to a house, where they ate lunch and tea and were involved in social activities and house competitions. Only Ivydene, Lindfield, Avenue and The Benhams had day girls.

In the early 2000s Linfield was converted into the new Health Centre replacing the old San which was sold off. In 2004 Ivydene Hall was also sold to a development firm due to the expense of removing Asbestos from the building. Avenue House was also refurbished in 2002 to become a designated Music Centre. This replaced the old music rooms in the Main Building. This led to the extension and refurbishment of Poulton House.

All sixth-formers were housed in the main building until 1990 when a purpose built house was constructed on the Ivydene site. This was named Greenslade and the original sixth-form house was called Poulton, in honour of the school's founders. These remain the two boarding houses specifically for sixth form boarders.

Much excitement was caused when one of Marlon Brando's daughters, Petra, attended the school for just a few weeks in the late 80's.

The school was host to one of the most bizarre sports halls ever constructed: The Edinburgh Dome, so named as it was unveiled by the Duke of Edinburgh. It consists of a round, green, balloon-shaped building, contaning squash courts, a gym area and a large games area, all surrounded by a murky moat.

The school is not to be confused with Malvern College, which is a separate school. Malvern Girls' College had for many years had ties with Croftdown Preparatory School however due to low numbers Croftdown ceased operation in 2000. The site was sold and turned into flats and housing.

Merger

In February 2006 it was announced that the school was to merge with nearby St. James's School. The new school is called Malvern St James (MSJ) and is based at the Malvern Girls' College campus. As would be expected, this caused a bit of a riot in both schools.

Traditions/Peculiarities

Dead Dog

Summer Dresses

L6 Community Service Week

Christmas Dinner

Fireworks Display

six inch rule

Staff Pantomime

Senior citz

sitting on the floor for assemblies

Notable Alumnae

*Barbara Cartland, novelist
*Tania Long, WWII journalist
*Jane Davidson, politician
*Frances Lynn, journalist
*Donna Ong, artist
*Elizabeth Lane, first female high court judge
*Mary Hayley Bell, playwright and author of Whistle Down The Wind
*Peggy Jay, Politician and campaigner
*Anna Kavan author
*Margaret Hampshire former heamistress of CLC
*Philippa Rakusen notable horticulturist
*Jean Goodman journalist
*Thandie Newton Actress

External links

* [http://www.malvernstjames.co.uk/pages/default.aspx Malvern St James official website]
* [http://www.geocities.com/etc_mgc Young Enterprise Company etc. at Malvern Girls' College]
* [http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=557440&in_page_id=1879 Susan Pope's story]