Iconic 1920s Cheltenham restaurant is up for sale — with redevelopment on the horizon

One of the most iconic art deco buildings in the county, The Daffodil was once one of the most sought-after restaurants in Cheltenham, where dinner and drinks for two would set you back the best part of £100.

But after never fully recovering from pandemic closures and restrictions, The Daffodil finally closed its doors for good in August 2022.

Now, upmarket estate agents Savills is seeking developers for the historic building and asking for 'unconditional or subject-to-planning offers'.

The property, unusually, spans two addresses — 18-20 and 21 Suffolk Parade. The site at numbers 18-20 is 6,135 sq ft and was granted planning permission in January 2024 for commercial, business and service use.

While number 21, which was once the Cheltenham Festivals box office, is 1,042 sq ft and was granted planning permission for conversion to a single residential dwelling in October 2023.

Jemima Upton, a senior surveyor in Savills South Central Development team, said: ‘The Daffodil is an attractive and prominent building, with a number of character features indicative of the art deco era.

'Its sale represents a rare opportunity to give a renowned building a new lease of life, through sensitive conversion and/or redevelopment.

 ‘Given its location, close to the town centre in the affluent and highly sought-after Montpelier, we believe the property could be particularly well-suited to a residential conversion.’

The Daffodil was designed by early 20th-century Cheltenham architect, Leonard William Barnard, and opened in 1922 as The Daffodil Picture House.

It had 750 seats and operated as a cinema until 1963, before conversion into a bingo club, then an antiques and furniture showroom, before entering its last iteration as a restaurant in 1998.

Savills is accepting developer's bids for The Daffodil until midday on Wednesday 5 June 2024.