The Commandery has a long, rich history going back a thousand years.

 

Originally there was a monastic hospital built on this site in around 1085 on the orders of Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester. It was built around the Chapel of St. Gudwal, which that building was constructed in the 950s (only the foundations remain). The Hospital of St. Wulfstan became a place for the terminally ill, the destitute and for pilgrims to stop over. The first known Master of the Hospital of St. Wulfstan was Walter de Wredens who prior to his new role had fought in the Crusades alongside either the Knights Templar or Knights Hospitalier. He remained Master here until his death in 1290.

 

The Great Hall was constructed in the 15th Century. Inside this building is a room called the Painted Chamber, with wall art going back to 1475 displaying Catholic Saints. It's believed this is where the dying would stay as they made their final prayers, seeing the life that was to come before passing over. Sadly the hospital suffered the Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by King Henry VIII, and was one of the last ones to be dissolved in England. By this time the hospital was known as The Commandery. The wall paintings in the Painted Chamber were then whitewashed. In 1541, The Commandery's owner Richard Morysyne was leasing the building to Thomas Wylde, a wealthy Worcester clothier who bought the building in 1545 outright for £498.

 

During the English Civil War, the Wylde family were supporters of King Charles I and his son who later became King Charles II. In 1651, The Commandery was chosen to be the headquarters of the Royalist Army fighting at the Battle of Worcester on the 3rd September that same year. The battle saw a victory for the Parliamentarians, forcing Charles II to flee. The Royalist defeat also saw the death of William Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Hamilton in his lodgings at The Commandery on the 12th September 1651. He died from exhaustion after he refused to have his injured leg amputated by a Roundhead surgeon. His body was buried under the floorboards in the far left corner of what is now the Hamilton room; he was left there for several weeks until his body was exhumed and given a proper burial. Thomas Wylde sold The Commandery in 1764 to John Dandridge, a lawyer and land developer. Before 1791, the Dandridge family added domestic wings on the eastern side of the property.

 

In 1786, two decades after the United States' founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, John Adams (2nd US President) and Thomas Jefferson (3rd US President) who were US Senators at the time, visited The Commandery during their tour of Britain, as they were keen to visit the English city where "the battle for the constitutional liberties of Great Britain had taken place".

 

During the mid-19th Century, The Commandery was purchased by Richard Mugg-Mence who made several modifications to the building. Between 1866 and 1887, The Commandery was leased by the Mence family and became the Worcester College for Blind Sons of Gentlemen, with the first Headmaster being Reverend Robert Hugh Blair, who believed that blind boys should be able to have a formal education and to pursue professional careers. His successor, Reverend Samual Strong Forster, allowed blind boys from less wealthier families to have access to scholarships, and he also had plans to open a similar school for blind girls.

 

In 1888, the property was purchased by Joseph Littlebury who was the final owner of the college. He redeveloped the building into a printworks known as 'Littlebury & Company', where they printed newspapers, glossy magazines, railway timetables and town guides. Joseph had the printworks based in one wing of the building, while his family lived in the opposite wing of the building. In 1935, a decorator accidentally rediscovered the lost medieval wall paintings of the Painted Chamber. He immediately informed Joseph Littlebury who had the whitewash removed, revealing the beautiful 15th Century paintings.

 

The Commandery became Grade I listed in 1971, and the Littlebury & Company business continued until 1973 when the last owner retired. The building was then sold to the Worcester City Council who opened The Commandery on the 13th June 1977 as a museum about the history of the building. Further restorations took place here between then and now, with an excavation that took place between 2004-2006 rediscovering the foundational remains of the Chapel of St. Gudwal, alongside two buried skeletons.

The Commandery is known for its captivating history and intrigue, but it's also known for its ghosts and scary hauntings reported by visitors and staff over the years.

 

Throughout the empty corridors of this timbered building, people have seen glimpses of a spectral Cavalier wandering around, with the sounds of his armour clattering as he moves from room-to-room. Disembodied voices and strange sounds echo into the night, as if this ancient building brings to life its dark past.

 

Guests have reported chilling experiences such as sudden cold spots, unexplained footsteps and an overwhelming sense of unease. With sightings of a ghostly monk in the Great Hall with his head bowed down, doors mysteriously opening and closing of their own accord, and the haunting sound of a woman weeping near the Preacher Room have cemented The Commandery’s reputation Worcester's most haunted location.

DATE: Saturday 29th March 2025

 

TIMES: 8:30pm - 2:00am (arrive 15 minutes early and wait patiently outside the black gates until a member of our team greets you there for registration)

 

LOCATION: The Commandery, Sidbury, Worcester WR1 2HU

 

PARKING AT EVENT: Commandery Road Car Park and King Street (Sidbury) Car Park. Please note parking charges may apply.

 

REMAINING BALANCE: Needs to be paid FOUR WEEKS prior to the event date. Failure to pay your remaining balance before this deadline will result in you forfeiting your places and your places will be sold on.

 

WHAT TO BRING: A torch, a warm coat/jacket, sensible footwear, any equipment you wish to bring along (your responsibility), your positive and open-minded energies.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Bringing alcohol or illegal drugs to this event is strictly prohibited. If anyone arrives at the event under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs, they will not be allowed to stay for the night and will be asked to leave immediately.