First look at Worcester's new creative quarter in The Arches
It's set to become the home of local artists and creatives in the city
Last updated 24th Feb 2022
Local artists and creatives are being offered a sneal peak at what's set to become the new home of the creative community in Worcester.
Five refurbished Victorian railway arches have been refurbished and are ready to use by anyone from the creative industry.
Four out of five of the arches in the city's new creative quarter will offer shared spaces. The fiffth arch will be used as a performance space.
Worcester City Council has appointed the team behind The Kiln – the managed workspace in Copenhagen Street - to manage and let the refurbished arches.
Hamish Gill, Co-Founder of the Kiln, said: “We are keen to attract all types of creatives and artists to use the exciting new spaces that have been created at The Arches – Worcester.
“We don’t want to pigeon-hole what the shared spaces should be used for, so we’re open to hearing from a broad variety of people and anyone who calls themselves an artist – whether that’s a painter, a designer, a make-up artist, a tattoo artist or anyone else in the creative industries.
“There’s a strong community of artists in Worcester and these open days will be a chance for them to come and see these sympathetically refurbished arches, to tell us what their needs are and what facilities they would like to see.”
The open days at the new arches will run from 9.30am to 4.30pm on Wednesday February 9 and Monday February 14.
A cultural destination
The Arches – Worcester project aims to create a new cultural destination for the city, and a new route connecting Foregate Street Station to The Hive and the riverside.
It has been made possible thanks to £3 million funding from the Government’s Cultural Development Fund (CDF). Under the terms of the CDF investment, the refurbished Arches must be let for creative and artistic purposes only.
The four refurbished arches that are set to be let to artists and creatives all have a kitchenette, disabled toilet, and spaces for displays.
Accessibility was designed in from the start, with all front doors being automated and a level threshold at the entrance.