15/09/2026
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Colwall Park Hotel • 1926
Ahead of our Gatsby Gala at Colwall Park Hotel this Saturday, we thought we’d share a little of the remarkable history of the hotel and its place in Colwall’s sporting story.
Built in 1904 to serve Colwall Park Racecourse, the Park Hotel soon became part of a thriving sporting and social scene beneath the Malvern Hills. 🏇 Race days transformed the village, with special trains bringing visitors from across the region and crowds of around 3,000 people between the wars.
In 1920, Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Scott-Bowden OBE, a veterinary surgeon, bought the Park Hotel and Brook Farm. He became secretary of the racecourse and later purchased it. His wife, Mary “Mollie” Scott-Bowden, was a keen sportswoman and part of the remarkable circle of women who would change cricket forever.
🏏 Then came the summer of 1926...
Vera Cox and Kathleen Doman organised a few days of cricket at Colwall for a group of women, many of them leading hockey players, with the Park Hotel as their headquarters. Mollie was part of this sporting circle and helped host the group.
It was at the Park that discussions took place about creating a national organisation for women’s cricket. Later that year, the Women’s Cricket Association was formed, with Mollie among those involved in making it happen.
Colwall went on to host the annual Women’s Cricket Week, attracting leading players including Betty Snowball, England’s pioneering wicketkeeper-batter, who later made Colwall her home and taught mathematics and cricket at The Elms. 🏏
The Park’s remarkable story continued...
🎨 Dame Laura Knight moved to Colwall in 1939 and later lived at the hotel, converting one of its stables into her studio.
A century later, the relationship between Colwall Park Hotel and Colwall Cricket Club continues. The hotel partnered with us for our 2026 Centenary Festival and, on Saturday, we’ll be presenting the Park with a special heritage display celebrating that shared history and dancing the night away Gatsby style!
🎶 With live music from the fabulous Molly Smout and tunes curated for your dancing by DJ Gem 💎
