ONE OF the city’s best known buildings will be transformed into classrooms for the University of Worcester.
The County Furnishings building on Castle Street will be turned into a high quality teaching space as part of a development of the city campus.
The building shares a historic link with the university’s Charles Hastings building which dates back to the 1800s and stands on the old county gaol.
Bodies of hanged prisoners would be taken from there to what was then the Worcester Royal Infirmary hospital, via an underground tunnel, where they were used for medical practice.
The old hospital site has been rejuvenated to be the current university’s Worcester Infirmary Museum.
Susie Scholes, director of County Furnishings, said: “We are really pleased to be able to pass this historic building on to the University and very much look forward to seeing it restored, in the same way as the former Infirmary has been.”
The current art deco structure was built more than 70 years ago for Lord Austin as a car showroom in 1939.
The refurbishment is planned at the same time as the former headquarters building of Worcester City Council’s Orchard House complex, which the university bought last year
A joint statement from the University and its development partner Wrenbridge said: “Wrenbridge will focus on its £500m project pipeline throughout the UK.
The University is undertaking a comprehensive review of its own estates development strategy having recently made a number of other acquisitions in Worcester.
“Wrenbridge and the University of Worcester would like to jointly thank all of the consultants and partners who have contributed to the successful developments at the Park over the past four years.”
The university has won national awards for their work on historical buildings including the best retro-fit building in the UK for 2012.
