The Principal York on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Principal York is an historic Grade II
In 1948, Britain's railways were nationalised and with them York's railway hotel. Initially this was as part of the 'Hotels Executive' of the British Transport Commission. The British Transport Hotels brand came about in 1953.
In 1981, an annexe was opened. It uses the building of the erstwhile North Eastern Railway catering department. it is called the '' Friars Garden Hotel''. This was the last investment under nationalised ownership.
A typical turnover at this time was 1981's £1,225,000. This source stated that there were then 135 bedrooms and 23 in Friar's Garden. At this time 24 rooms were not en-suite. The Ebor Restaurant had 52 covers. In 2013, this was The Tempus Restaurant.
The Principal York is an historic Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
on Station Road, adjacent to York railway station
York railway station is on the East Coast Main Line serving the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. It is north of and on the main line it is situated between to the south and to the north. , the station is operated by London North Ea ...
, England. It is a five-storey building of yellow Scarborough brick and was completed in 1878, a year after the present station opened.
The 1853 Hotel
The first York station hotel (The York Royal Station Hotel) was opened on 22 February 1853, the architect was G. T. Andrews, as an addition toYork old railway station
York old railway station is a former railway station in the city of York, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Origins
The first York railway station was a temporary building on Queen Street outside the walls of the city. It was open ...
. The hotel became redundant after the opening of the new station in June 1877 and was converted into offices.
The 1878 Hotel
The new hotel opened on 20 May 1878 as the Royal Station Hotel, York. The architect was William Peachey of the North Eastern Railway. The hotel was designed as an integral part of the new station and the North Eastern Railway Company's flagship hotel, and as such was managed directly by the railway company. It featured elegant, high-ceilinged banqueting rooms and 100 large bedrooms costing 14 shillings a night. It was built by Lucas Brothers. A 27-room west wing was added in 1896, named Klondyke for the Klondike Gold Rush of the time. In 1923, ownership and management of the hotel transferred to the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).
British Transport Hotels
In 1948, Britain's railways were nationalised and with them York's railway hotel. Initially this was as part of the 'Hotels Executive' of the British Transport Commission. The British Transport Hotels brand came about in 1953.
In 1981, an annexe was opened. It uses the building of the erstwhile North Eastern Railway catering department. it is called the '' Friars Garden Hotel''. This was the last investment under nationalised ownership.
A typical turnover at this time was 1981's £1,225,000. This source stated that there were then 135 bedrooms and 23 in Friar's Garden. At this time 24 rooms were not en-suite. The Ebor Restaurant had 52 covers. In 2013, this was The Tempus Restaurant.
Privatisation
Under Mrs Thatcher's government ancillary activities of the railways were privatised and this included British Transport Hotels. The sale was held by public tender. The sale inventory dated October 1982 is held by theNational Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant ...
at York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
.
The first purchaser of the hotel in 1983 was Batchshire Limited (later Distinguished Hotels Limited, Seaco Hotels Limited, Venice Simplon Orient Express Hotels Limited, Orient Hotels Limited/ Orient Hotels (U.K.) Limited before becoming Belmond Limited
Belmond Ltd. (formerly Orient-Express Hotels Ltd) is a hospitality and leisure company that operates luxury hotels, train services and river cruises worldwide. In 2015, the company had 35 deluxe hotels, 7 tourist trains, 3 river cruises and rest ...
), a subsidiary of Sea Containers
Sea Containers was a Bermudan registered company which operated two main business areas: transport and container leasing. It filed for bankruptcy on 16 October 2006. In 2009 its maritime container interests were transferred to a new company SeaC ...
. The owners in 2013 are Principal Hotel Company
Principal Hotel Company is a British hotel and conference venue operator headquartered in Harrogate, England.
History
Principal Hotel Company advertises that it was established in 1898, as that is the year the oldest hotel in its chain, Kimpton F ...
.
Completed in 2016, The Principal York hotel underwent a refurbishment of the public areas, 164 rooms and suites and corridors.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Principal York, The Grade II listed buildings in York Railway hotels in England Hotels established in 1878 Hotels in York