THIS week we’re taking a look at a popular building, Worcester’s Historic Commandery, a site with a fascinating and varied past.
While the building can trace its origins back over 1,000 years to its time as a medieval monastery hospital, over the centuries it played an important role as the royalist headquarters during the civil war and at times in the 19th century as a college restaurant for the “blind sons of men”.
This fascinating half-timbered house has had a number of uses since time immemorial. Many will remember his life as Littlebury Printworks, which, among many other publications, produced local trade directories.
A former employee recalled one or two occasions when workers in the print shop next to the canal played a cheeky game of cricket when the boss wasn’t around!
During the 20th century the site consisted of several addresses including 1 Commandery Drive which was a private family home and two small shops overlooking Sidbury (now the main entrance), one a wool shop and the other a candy store adjoining several Remember locals as a popular stop on the way to school.
Littlebury’s closed its doors in 1973, citing the introduction of sales tax for the loss of more than 50 jobs.
The company had carefully kept the historic building and was keen to see it become public property.
After several months of negotiations, it was finally sold to Worcester City Council in October 1973 and a plan for the restoration and conversion of the building as a “cultural and leisure center” was presented. Initial restoration work took place before The Commandery Museum opened in 1977 and major work has been required over the years, perhaps one of the most memorable works on the front building was in the late 1980s when it was found structurally unsafe.
In fact, former local councilor Geoff Carpenter later commented that “the whole building was resting on a jar of dolly mixes in a candy store”.
For more information about the history of The Commandery, as part of the Worcester City Historic Environment Record, visit Know Your Place Worcester at kypworcester.org.uk.
We’d love to hear your memories of The Commandery over the years – contact us or even add them to the community level on the website!
Worcester Life Stories is a community project that brings local people together through shared stories of the city of Worcester.
It is jointly managed by Dr. Natasha Lord, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust and Sheena Payne-Lunn, Worcester City Council, managed and funded thanks to the National Lottery players.
For more information or to share your stories, visit wocesterlifestories.org.uk, our Facebook page or Twitter @worlifestories.
You can also email Worcesterlifestories@gmail.com or call 01905 721133. And why not visit the We grew up in Worcester page on Facebook?