THERE are fears about what could happen to an historic building after the closure of a UK private school.
As pupils in Malvern start going back to school, it will be unusually quiet on Avenue Road as none return to Malvern St James.
Pupils left the site for the very last time when they collected their GCSE results in August.
The school’s closure was announced earlier this year, with Chinese parent company Galaxy Global Education Group attributing it to financial challenges.
Now, there are concerns about what will become of the main building.
READ MORE: UK private school Malvern St James closure confirmed
A former hotel
The main Malvern St James site was initially built as The Imperial Hotel (Image: Supplied)
It first opened in 1862 as The Imperial Hotel, which was designed by architect Edward Elmslie and built in conjunction with Great Malvern railway station.
The building boasts impressive decorative features in a Gothic style.
According to Historic England, it was among the first hotels in England to be lit by incandescent gas.
It also has a tunnel, known locally as ‘The Worm’, that once connected the station to the basement of the building.
HISTORY: ‘The Worm’ tunnel, which used to connect Great Malvern railway station to The Imperial Hotel (Image: NQ)
“The hotel and the station were built together by the same people,” said Michael Pritchard, chair of Malvern Civic Society.
“Elmslie was the designer but there was a company set up to do both.
“They wanted a nice station for their guests, who would come by train, stay in the hotel and then go up the road to the water cure.
“There’s no building in Malvern that looks like this. It’s of it’s time.”
The site was repurposed into a school in 1919, which was originally called Malvern Girls’ College.
Malvern Girls’ College merged with St James’ school in 2006, which itself had merged with The Abbey School in 1979, to become Malvern St James.
READ MORE: Parents launch bid to save UK private school from closure
Hopes for future uses
Dr Pritchard said the civic society is keen to know what plans Galaxy Global has for the site but has yet to hear from the company.
Due to its Grade II listed status, there are restrictions on what can be done with the building but Dr Pritchard has said he would like to see it go back to its initial use.
“We were very sad when we heard it was closing,” he said.
“We’re worried about what’s going to happen next.
“We don’t know what they want to do with it and we can’t find out. You do wonder why they’ve spent money on it and would think they want a return on it of some kind.
SAD: Malvern St James has now closed (Image: NQ)
“One of the other purposes, of course, is to turn it back into a hotel, which Malvern needs but I don’t see how that’s going to happen.
“You would need a big hotel company that would have the money to do it and cooperation from the Chinese owners.”
READ MORE: Owners of Malvern St James close two more private schools
Chinese parent company
The school was purchased by Galaxy Global in 2025, who announced its closure just over a year later.
Two other UK private schools owned by the company, Durham High School and Ruthin School in North Wales, also closed this year.
Galaxy Global said it intends to use more of the site as a “public-facing educational and community venue”.
Nick Grenfell-Marten, chair of the company’s management board said: “Our current intention is to bring more of the Malvern St James site into active use as a public-facing educational and community venue.
“Facilities are already available for hire by sports clubs, music groups and other organisations, and we hope to make further areas available for wider public use and hire soon.
“We recognise the site’s heritage and Grade II listed status, and any plans will be developed with appropriate regard to the relevant planning and conservation requirements.
“We want the site to contribute positively to the wider Malvern community and will share further details as our plans develop.”
