Malvern College: A Timeline
- Malvern College was opened on 25th January 1865 under the headship of Rev. Arthur Faber
- The school grew rapidly, from 64 boys in 1866 to 190 by 1870 and 300 by 1880
- The 1890s saw the addition of a further four Houses – No.6 (now No.5), No.7, No.8 and No.9 – as well as the Chapel
- The Malvernian Society was formed in 1895
- In 1939 the College was requisitioned by the government for premises for the Admiralty and moves to Blenheim Palace from 1939 – 1940
- The College was evacuated again in 1942, by order of Sir Winston Churchill, to make way for the government’s Telecommunications and Research Establishment and is housed with Harrow School
- From 1946, Malvern College continued to build new facilities adding a new Design & Technology building
- 1962 sees the first use of Cwm Llwch
- The College played a significant role in the development of a series of educational projects, and in 1963, was the first independent school to have a language laboratory. It pioneered Nuffield Physics in the 1960s. In 1992, the College was one of the first schools in Britain to offer the International Baccalaureate as an alternative to A levels in the Sixth Form
- The College’s centenary in 1965 was celebrated with a visit from Her majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and the recently retired Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan
- Malvern College became a co-educational school in 1992 when Malvern College, Ellerslie Girls’ School and Hillstone Preparatory School were brought together
- In 2007 the new Carson Centre provided additional classrooms
- In 2008, Malvern College Preparatory School was amalgamated with The Downs School to form The Downs Malvern
- In 2009 two brand new boarding houses (No.7 and Ellerslie) were opened
- The new Sports Complex was opened in 2009. A year later, in November 2010, the newly refurbished rackets courts were opened
- Malvern College opened its first overseas school, Malvern College Qingdao, in September 2012, with Malvern College Chengdu opening in September 2015. Malvern College Egypt opened in 2016, closely followed by Malvern College Pre-School Hong Kong in 2017 and Malvern College Hong Kong in 2018. Malvern College Tokyo opened in September 2023.
- In 2015, the College opened a newly reconfigured and refurbished Science Centre, and in 2016, a water-based artificial hockey pitch was built to further enhance the sports provision
- In September 2018 the extensive redevelopment of the Rogers Theatre was complete and was the start of the focus on providing outstanding facilities across the arts
- 2019 becomes an All-Steinway School through the generous support of an Old Malvernian, providing best in class grand and upright pianos across the school
- In 2024 the College released an ambitious 10-Year Masterplan, with a pledge to become a carbon-neutral campus by 2050
- 2025 marks 160 years since the opening of Malvern College on 25th January 1865
Many thanks for your email to remind me that Malvern College may now celebrate its 160th anniversary! My Great-Grandfather Revd William Herbert SEDDON (1866/1-1870) and my Great-Uncles Revd Richard Toller SEDDON (1866/1-1870) & Thomas Rowley SEDDON (1866/1-1870) were Day Boys and were amongst the 64 boys at Malvern in 1866 which you mention above. It must have been quite a journey for them to come all the way from Evesbatch In Herefordshire, where their father Revd Richard Seddon was the Rector to the College every day. Did they travel by horse or pony & trap? Incidentally my Great Grandfather later married the wealthy heiress Frances Isobel PERRINS, my Great Grandmother, who was sister to Charles William Dyson PERRINS, who was an important benefactor of the College and a member of the College Council. I could send you copies of our photo of my Great Grandparents in 1917 and of my Great Grandmother with her brother and my Great Uncle Dyson in ? 1950s if you would like to see them. He also founded the Dyson Perrins Church of England High School in Malvern.
Will there be a 160th Anniversary Service in Malvern Priory later this year?