eady being converted into
private boarding schools and rest homes, and education became the basis of
Malvern's economy. By 1865, the town already had 17 single-gender private
schools, increasing to 25 by 1885. The area was well suited for schools due to
its established attractive environment and access by rail. Children could
travel unaccompanied with their trunks by rail to their boarding schools near
the stations in Great Malvern, Malvern Wells, and Malvern Link. The Girls
College, in a former hotel directly opposite Great Malvern railway station, has
a dedicated (now derelict) tunnel to the basement of the building, which is clearly
visible from both platforms of the station.
20th century
Malvern began to develop into a modern town
in the early 1900s, with a continuing strong agricultural presence.
Modernisation continued, and the World War II years transformed the population
and its activities, establishing the town as a centre of scientific research
