The Grand Metropole Hotel is a large

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

in Blackpool, England, the only Blackpool hotel to sit directly on the shoreline. It is one of the two oldest hotels in Blackpool; work originally began in 1776 on what was then named Bailey's Hotel and it opened in 1785. It is now owned by Britannia Hotels.

History

In 1776, Lawrence Bailey, a farmer from the Layton area of Blackpool, began work on a hotel by the shore. Construction was completed in 1785 and, on 14 June, Bailey began advertising his hotel in the ''Manchester Mercury'' newspaper. Hall Genealogy Website
Chronology of Blackpool The hotel opened with 34 bedrooms, three dining rooms, and a coffee lounge.Blackpool and District
Now and Then At the time it was one of only four hotels in the fledgling resort. Of those only two remain; Bailey's Hotel, which became the Metropole, and Forshaw's, which became the Clifton Arms and is currently run as a

Travelodge Travelodge (formerly TraveLodge) refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and several countries in Asia. However, ma ...

. The other two hotels, Hudson's and Hull's Tavern, were later converted into department stores and remain in retail use today. In 1826, the hotel was purchased by Robert Dickson and was renamed the Higher Royal Hotel. In 1852 it was taken over by Robert Rossall, who renamed it Rossall's Dickson Hotel, then by 1867 reverted to the name Bailey's. In 1856, Blackpool's first

promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cl ...

along the beach was created; this ran from the hotel to the Houndshill area, and was constructed of asphalt. In 1870 this was upgraded with a cobbled granite sea-wall on top of which the promenade sat. The hotel was now in an enviable position, as all other hotels were on the landward side of the promenade whilst Bailey's sat on the shore. In 1885 when the

trams A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ar ...

arrived, they followed the line of the promenade on the landward side of the hotel; on 12 March of that year the first section of track was laid directly outside the hotel. The hotel underwent renovations in 1873, with an additional wing to the East, and again in 1876 with the construction of shops on the landward side. In 1900 the building underwent further substantial renovation resulting in its expanding to twice its previous size and taking on the Victorian appearance it retains to this day. In 1875, the town's first council meeting took place in the hotel. Butlins Metropole Hotel, Blackpool
/ref> In 1896, the hotel was purchased by JT Murray and was renamed "Hotel Metropole", the name it still retains. In 1900 it was sold to Spiers and Pond Limited. In 1939 the government requisitioned the hotel as part of the war effort. After the war, in 1947, The Metropole Hotel (Blackpool) Limited Company was formed, when F Price purchased it back from them. In 1955, Billy Butlin purchased the hotel for his

Butlins Butlin's is a chain of large seaside resorts in the United Kingdom. Butlin's was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families. Between 1936 and 1966, ten camps were built, including one in Ireland and o ...

holidays chain. In 1998, Butlins sold their hotels to Grand Hotels and the name changed to "Grand Metropole Blackpool". In 2004, Grand Hotels sold the Grand Metropole Hotel to Britannia Hotels along with other former Butlins Hotels such as the

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

and the

in Llandudno. the hotel has been modernised and has 223 bedrooms, two restaurants, and a café.The Grand Metropole Hotel in Blackpool
Britannia Hotels, retrieved 17 February 2018.

References

External links

{{Authority control Hotel buildings completed in 1785 History of Blackpool Butlins hotels Tourist attractions in Blackpool Hotels in Blackpool