Durdans Malvern

[pinefamily]

Hello fellow Rootschatters,
In a probate entry from 1909, James Kelley died at "the Durdans Malvern". He lived in Malvern Links.
Can anyone tell me what this was? A Hospital, hospice, home of some kind? Google is of no help. I only get a hospital in Sri Lanka.
Thanks in advance.

[AllanUK]

The only thing that I can find is in the 1921 Census which indicates that The Durdans was a house. It was occupied by a Matthew Thomas Stevens and his wife Amy Mary. He was a Newspaper Proprietor and Printer -- this suggests that it was a large house. The full address of The Durdans is recorded as:

The Durdans, Worcester Road, Great Malvern, Worcestershire

[AllanUK]

Kelly's Directory of 1912 (image courtesy of Ancestry) shows that Matthew Thomas Stevens was living at The Durdans.

The 1921 Census records that they had a live in servant - it could be that James Kelley was employed by Matthew T Stevens.

[pinefamily]

Thanks Allan,
That makes sense. In the 1901 census, James was listed as a porter.

[ShaunJ]

The only person there in the 1911 census was Stevens' servant Annie Davis. The enumerator has guessed the number of rooms as 10 (written in red ink with a question mark).

[pinefamily]

Perhaps the owners were away.
James died in 1909.

[ShaunJ]

That makes sense. In the 1901 census, James was listed as a porter.

And a gardener in previous censuses. Perhaps he was a gardener at The Durdans. 

[Geoff-E]

Streetview shows us that these two semi-detached houses are Hillside and Heathfield.
https://tinyurl.com/34czuncj

The 1911 list of houses shows us that Durdans was the next house along, so might be the one set back from the road along a long path.  The house now called Gallery House was the house previously called St Michaels.

[ShaunJ]

1905 map - could it be the house just above "Police Station"?

https://maps.nls.uk/view/120901192#zoom=6&lat=9278&lon=15630&layers=BT