In our new weekly feature profiling some of Worcestershire's most interesting places on the market, Jessica Charles looks at the Great Western Hotel.
A GRAND hotel has hardly changed its exterior over the years, but the Victorian building tells many stories.
The Great Western hotel on Shrub Hill is over 170 years old and in 2013 it was among the 20 historic buildings in Worcester that were added to the Buildings of Local Significance list.
This means council chiefs will keep tabs on each site to make sure they are properly maintained and protected.
However attractive the outside of the building may look, with white pillars holding up the elegant main entrance, the hotel was not always a place of comfort.
In the austere 1930s, the Great Western was set up for people wanting to save money during the great depression.
Travellers could enjoy bed and breakfast for as little as 14 shillings – the equivalent of 80p in modern money. One of the most expensive rooms in the hotel cost 25 shillings.
Leading up to the Second World War, tourists were told: “ration books or emergency cards to be handed to office on arrival if staying more than two days.”
An old brochure shows the hotel was ideal for people taking short breaks, with very basic facilities and drab furnishings.
A photo of the hotel in 1907 shows that to the right of the building were stables and an ornate lantern hung above the front entrance.
Today it is looking for a new owner to bring it back to life, and it will be interesting to see which direction the hotel moves in. It is advertised as “a rare opportunity to acquire a residential investment in the city of Worcester.”
And the brochure also says the property “could lend itself to residential conversion in the future.”
Last year the Worcester News reported that figures from Guildhall’s Place and Economic Development Committee suggested
Worcester needed more luxury hotels
as there is a gap in the market. Filling this gap would be a big boost to the city's economy as tourists are spending more money in Worcester but are not staying the night.
The Great Western is on the market with Halls Commercial for £1,800,000.
