Warwick House of Malvern and Gertrude Mitchell the Woman Who Created It
By Sally Trepte
ISBN 9781912078417
 
Warwick House of Malvern and Gertrude Mitchell the Woman Who Created It was written during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, largely triggered by research during 2017/18, as part of the Route to the Hills project in Malvern, on the life of Gertrude Mitchell, the author’s grandmother.

The book gives a snapshot of Warwick House of Malvern during the 1960s and early 1970s drawn mainly from the author’s memories. Warwick House was a large, high-class department store the like of which is now rarely seen. Gertrude began her first business in 1914, eventually amalgamating with Cox & Painters at Warwick House in 1942.

Gertrude was a woman before her time. Her life story presents an interesting piece of social history and for that reason alone is worthy of telling. But it also has the ability to take one back to an age long gone, of service to others, of incredibly high standards, and of a lifestyle which no longer exists.

Even now when Warwick House of Malvern is mentioned people exclaim such things as ‘Oooh! I remember my mother taking me there – we loved it, it was so special, it almost felt sacred.’