New life for old News site

Demolition in progress (former home of Worcester News)

Demotion of the former home of the Worcester News is almost complete – with the Hylton Road site set to be redeveloped by the University of Worcester.

The university acquired the Berrow’s House site in 2019 and it will now form part of its Severn Campus, whose focus is on health, wellbeing and inclusive sport. It is hoping the new building will provide a centre for its planned Three Counties Medical School, which is currently progressing through the General Medical Council’s approvals and assessment procedures.

The Worcester News had been headquartered in Hylton Road since 1965, although its printing presses closed down in 2016 – ending a 300-year-old tradition of newspaper printing in the city – when Newsquest switched production to Oxford. Today, teams that produce the Worcester News are based at Redhill House on London Road.

The title is a former winner of the Midlands Media Awards Newspaper of the Year category.

After the university announced its acquisition in 2019, Julia Lancett, managing director for Newsquest Midlands South, said: “Although we’ll be sad to leave Berrow’s House as we have so much history here, we’re looking forward to moving to a modern office which is more fit for purpose for our digitally-led business, while remaining at the heart of Worcester.”

A university spokesman said that the site of the former Berrow’s House, located just a short walk from the St John’s and City campuses, would have a new lease of life through its transformation into a vibrant educational centre with further high-quality teaching and learning spaces for students, particularly those studying to be health professionals.