As it’s the first #worldartdecoday I thought I’d tweet a little tour of Worcester’s surviving inter-war buildings (Worcester England that is). A thread..
@artdecosocuk #worcester

We’ll start off just outside Shrub Hill Station with Isaak Maddox House.
Built in 1938 to the designs of Dyneley, Luker and Moore, this was originally offices to Heenan & Froude, manufacturers of industrial equipment. It was extended further in the 1950s with a matching design.

Here’s a few period adverts for their products.

Looping back around to the southern end of the High Street, we’ll look at some retail frontages.
The first one is the former Russell & Dorrell furniture store. The corner section was built in 1925, with matching extensions added in 1932 and 1959.

Directly opposite is W H Peplow Ltd, a jewellers that retains its 1930s vitrolite clad frontage and original signage.

Further down the High Street is the O2 store. Originally one of four identical mid-'30s retail units, though only two now survive, this being the best preserved.

Opposite is the 1936 branch of Boots, designed by Percy J. Bartlett, complete with a pair of flag poles.

A slight tangent but of topical interest, the recently deceased Debenhams department store (1960 by Healing & Overbury). This is thankfully about to find a new lease of life as an artisan food hall, unlike many similar examples @c20society are currently campaigning to save.

Let’s look at some cinemas. The oldest surviving example is the Scala Theatre on Angel Place. It first opened in 1922 and operated until 1973, though much of the interior was later gutted. It’s now an amusements arcade.

Around the corner on Foregate Street is the former Gaumont Cinema (1935 by William E. Trent & Ernest Tulley). In the '60s this was a regular venue on the live music scene with both The Beatles and Stones (to name but a few) appearing. From '74 until last year it was a bingo hall.

Opposite is the Odeon, a late 1930s design by Robert Bullivant that didn’t see completion until 1950. Still a cinema, though split into seven small screens.

Here it is after dark taken from my book Odeon Relics - plug plug.

A short walk from Foregate Street is the former Austin House. Completed in 1939 to the design of John C. S. Soutar, this was an extensive showroom, workshop and petrol filling station for Austin cars.

In later years it was a fabric warehouse before being bought and refurbished by the University of Worcester for its art department.
These photos are from 2018.

Finally, a fair distance from the city centre is the magnificent former Northwick Cinema, 1938 by Charles E. Wilford.

The interior features a lavish feast of moulded plaster designs by John Alexander and period features. It’s now an interior furnishings showroom (these photos are from a few years ago).

If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with it!!