Hotel Reina Cristina is an historic hotel in

Algeciras Algeciras ( , ) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algeci ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It was opened in 1901. It is representative of the British colonial architecture imported into the city in the early twentieth century from the nearby

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

History

The Hotel was built in the 1890s in response to the housing needs arising from the opening of the

Algeciras-Bobadilla railway The Algeicras-Bobadilla railway was built by the Algeciras Gibraltar Railway Company, the first section of track was laid on 1 September 1888. The first locomotive was built by Beyer, Peacock & Company in Manchester, England. A 1st class return ...

and opened in 1901. The original colonial English style building was funded by

Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon (28 September 1850 – 17 March 1934), known as Sir Alexander Henderson, 1st Baronet, from 1902 to 1916, was a British financier and Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament. Biography Henderson was the ...

, via his company the

Algeciras Gibraltar Railway Company The Algeciras Gibraltar Railway Company was formed by British businessmen to build the Algeciras-Bobadilla railway line between Algeciras and Bobadilla, Antequera, the first section of track was laid on 1 September 1888. The first train was purc ...

. The original hotel (designed by

Thomas Edward Collcutt Thomas Edward Collcutt c.1890 Thomas Edward Collcutt (16 March 1840 – 7 October 1924) was an English architect in the Victorian era who designed several important buildings in London including the Savoy Hotel, Lloyd's Register of Shipping ...

) burned down in 1928 but it was rebuilt with one floor designed by architect

Guillermo Thompson Guillermo () is the Spanish form of the male given name William. The name is also commonly shortened to 'Guille' or, in Latin America, to nickname 'Memo'. People *Guillermo Amor (born 1967), Spanish football manager and former player *Guillermo Ar� ...

. It reopened in April 1932. The new building kept the overall structure of English colonial style and added elements typical of Andalusian architecture as befitted the eclectic movement of the time. The hotel is built around a central courtyard with landscape gardens. This building plays an important part of the history of Algeciras, especially during the Conference of Algeciras in 1906 and during World War II when spies would monitor the military movements in Gibraltar. It has also been visited by many famous people over the years, including

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

and

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

References

Hotels in Algeciras Hotels established in 1901

Hotel Reina Cristina Hotel Reina Cristina is an historic hotel in Algeciras, Spain. It was opened in 1901. It is representative of the British colonial architecture imported into the city in the early twentieth century from the nearby British Overseas Territory of Gib ...

Spanish companies established in 1901 {{Cádiz-struct-stub