Art deco Northwick Cinema in Worcester for sale for £1.5m

Northwick Cinema, an art deco-themed building on Ombersley Road, has been listed by Fisher German at a guide price of £1,500,000.

The business had been operating under Grays of Worcester - a furniture and furnishings store - since 2004, but its owners, David and Helen Gray, are now looking to downsize.

WOW: Inside the art deco themes building. (Image: PaulColeshill) Mrs Gray said: “It has been a wonderful venue to trade from, showing off our stock beautifully for many years, but it is getting a bit big for us now as David is 70 next year.

“We will be looking for a shop that is half the size, but we have no doubt we won’t find anywhere as fabulous as the Northwick.”

The 7,218 sq ft property was designed by Charles E Wilford and opened in 1938 as a cinema.

The 7,218 sq ft property was designed by Charles E Wilford. (Image: PaulColeshill) The original interior followed plans by the Art Deco interior designer John Alexander and is the only surviving complete and unaltered example of his work, featuring relief plasterwork, 1930’s fittings and countless other decorative features.

Lauren Allcoat, senior associate responsible for the sale, said: “This is fantastic instruction for Fisher German, as the property is very much a local landmark.

The property comes with a lot of potential. (Image: PaulColeshill) “We have a vast amount of experience in selling similar properties over the years and are well-placed to sell this incredible building.”

The building closed as a picture house in 1966 and was used as a bingo hall until 1991.

It was then used as an entertainment centre for five years until it was purchased by the Grays.

Fisher German expects that the property will appeal to any large retail company as a flagship store, or developers looking to convert the building, subject to planning permission.

Lauren added: “Buildings like this do not often come onto the market, so this is a rare opportunity to purchase an architecturally significant building steeped in history, and we expect it to attract a strong amount of interest.”