This update outlines how Malvern College is developing its campus to support learning, wellbeing and community life, while carefully stewarding a historic estate. It reflects the long-term planning, expertise and people behind these improvements to school facilities.
A Strategic Vision for an Evolving Campus
Walk across the Malvern College campus today and a quiet transformation reveals itself in every corner — from the warmth and buzz of the Gryphon Room to the renewed energy of the Music School. These developments reflect a sustained strategic commitment: to create exceptional environments for learning and living, and to ensure that every space supports the day to day rhythms of school life.
Behind these projects sits not only architectural ambition, but the expertise, problem solving and dedication of our Estates Team. Their work — informed by experience, strengthened by new skills and grounded in a deep knowledge of the campus — is helping to shape the College for generations to come.
Major Capital Projects Shaping Malvern College
In recent years, Malvern College has delivered several major capital developments, including our on-campus café, the Sixth Form Centre, Main Reception and a series of upgraded teaching and communal spaces. Designed internally and delivered through close collaboration with external partners, including TaskSpace, these projects offered the Estates Team invaluable opportunities to gain insight into new systems, regulations and construction approaches.
This process led to a key realisation: much of this expertise could be developed and held in house, enabling future projects to be delivered with even greater sensitivity, efficiency and continuity.
The Gryphon Room: A Defining Moment in Campus Renewal
One defining moment came with the decision to transform the ‘Gryphon Room’. What had previously been a cold, underused conference venue needed to become a central dining hub capable of serving the whole school. The Estates Team — led operationally by Head of Capital Projects, Sam Drew, with strategic oversight from Director of Estates, Susannah Rohan-Hill — made the case for delivering the project internally.
This approach reflects the College’s confidence in its in-house expertise and long-term understanding of the site.
The complexity was considerable:
- Ceiling rafters weighing up to 600kg each
- Steel divisions requiring precision cutting and removal
- Creative engineering solutions to work safely above a former swimming pool, ‘The Ducker’, directly beneath the floor
The result is now one of the most celebrated spaces on campus — a warm, contemporary hub that has transformed the pupil dining experience and become a core space for connection, community and shared daily routines.
Heritage Expertise and Modern Innovation
Much of the Estates Team’s strength lies in its blend of hands on practical skill, project management experience and an intimate understanding of Malvern’s historic buildings. With backgrounds spanning carpentry, traditional trades, surveying and modern construction methods, the team is uniquely positioned to work sensitively within a heritage environment while delivering facilities that meet the expectations of 21st century education.
This combination — deep practical knowledge, strategic planning and collaborative working — is now embedded across all major projects.
Complex Projects Delivered with Care
Over the past couple of years, the Estates Team has delivered an extensive programme of work. Recent work has ranged from large-scale refurbishments to highly specialised improvements across the campus, including:
- transformation and refurbishment of the Music School
- staffroom improvements
- upgrades to the ‘Mini Malvern’ Nursery at The Downs Malvern
- refurbishments of the Porters’ Lodge, old Book Room, gym and School Shop
- 36 projects completed over summer 2024 alone, ranging from small specialist teaching spaces to large-scale improvements within the Sixth Form Centre
Many of these developments come with hidden layers of complexity. At St Edmund’s Hall in the Music School, for example, ceiling painting and lighting upgrades required full scaffolding, but the floor structure could not support the load. The team engineered a solution by supporting the scaffolding from our student social space (‘The Longy’) beneath.
Elsewhere, during the transformation of the Stable Block into our Outdoor Education hub, a carved wooden door dating from 1865–70 — etched with historic names — was uncovered and is now preserved in the College archives, a tangible link to Malvern’s past.
Building Team Capacity for Future Development
As the College looks ahead to its next phase of strategic development — including the proposed move to bring our Prep School, The Downs Malvern, onto a shared site — the Estates Team continues to grow its capability. The recent appointment of a Projects Officer and plans to introduce a Site Manager, reflects a commitment to building a resilient, skilled team able to support the increasingly ambitious scope of future works.
What These Improvements to Facilities Means for Pupils
These projects represent more than physical improvements. They are an investment in the pupil experience, in the people who care for and develop the campus and in the longterm stewardship of Malvern College’s historic estate.
From the buzz of the Gryphon Room to the renewed vibrancy of the Music School, these spaces enhance learning, wellbeing and community. They reflect a clear and enduring strategy: to create outstanding environments that honour the College’s heritage while supporting the needs of modern education.