Aymestrey House, Worcester Road, Malvern Link 1909-1922

No 179 Worcester Road, Malvern Link had quite a history as a school – it was a boys’ prep school in the 1860’s (owned by Rev. J Allan).  By 1876 it was a girls school run by Mrs Rhoda Jones, and Mrs Margaret Judson and Florence took over from her.  (This school then became the Abbey School when Florence moved it to Malvern Wells in around 1907).  The building stood empty for a couple of years before the Asterleys moved in. (“The Story of Malvern Link, Worcestershire” by Daphne Drake)

 

In 1901 the building was called Hazel Bank.  The census shows Florence Judson and Margaret Judson, her sister, living there along with 5 teachers, 5 domestic staff, and 29 pupils aged from 8-20.

The Asterleys renamed it Aymestrey House in 1909 and the 1911 census shows them  there with their son Dan, one assistant schoolmaster (Hugh Poussett Snowden aged 22), a Lady Nurse Domestic (Ethel Gertrude Barnesby, 37) and a school matron (Margaret Eleanor Barnesby, 28).  There were 11 boarders, all aged 10-12, and three servants – a cook, houseman and houseboy.  The cook’s wife is shown as a
visitor.

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The school building was quite small, being essentially an ordinary dwelling house.  Lighting in the house was by gas.  We all had cold baths every morning, except for some tepid baths for those temporarily exempted from the cold.  We had hot baths twice a week.  Joseph Coates (1909-1914)

By Lestor Steynor (1911-1916), from memory, in 1981. Thanks to Pen Steynor

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In 1917 the school was getting too big for the building at No 179, and they took on Hilton, a few doors up the hill at No 173 Worcester Road, which had been empty for a few years prior to this.

 ‘Aymestrey House, Hilton, the Worcester road with its noise and dust, the lorry and the Midland motor-bus – all are visions of a dim past, when lessons were carried on amidst the roar of traffic ; when one was obliged to waste valuable time trudging to and from the field; when the intervening distance between Hilton and Aymestrey had to be covered perhaps seven or eight times a day.’

The Malvern years described from Crown East in the  Christmas 1922 Magazine

When Aymestrey left for Crown East the building was purchased by St Cuthberts,
the school next door owned by John Edward Healey MA. 

"Old Aymestrey," as the present boys call the house in Malvern ... was bought by Mr Healey before we left, and his workmen began alterations before we were out of the house.  It is regarded as St Cuthberts School House, and looks rather typical.  The conservatories have been pulled down, and, as the outside of the house was painted, all clematis, ampelopsis etc has been done away with, so it looks bare to our eyes.  There is a path between the houses, and the "little changers" have a door at the west end and are turned into a cloak-room.  The study has become a music room, the drawing-room a class room, and a dancing class for the tiny Miss Browns and other little girls is held there on Saturday afternoons.  The dining room is also a class room, as is the old School room.  The "top back" - room of many associations - and the two small rooms nearest it are partitioned off and fitted up with a bath room, making quite a good sanatorium.  The flat desolation left by the removal of our gym., is converted into a good dry playground and a large corner of the garden, the part where Miss Ethel's hens used to disport themselves, is now part of the St Cuthberts field.
'A Letter to Old Boys' in the Christmas 1924 Magazine written by Mrs Asterley 

St Cuthberts closed in the early 1940s and subsequently became part of the Birmingham Children's Hospital, although this did not include Aymestrey House which remains standing and was at one time Hillside School.

The original Aymestrey House is now a day nursery, and Hilton has been divided into apartments.