Grand Metropole Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Grand Metropole Hotel is a large hotel
in Blackpool
, England
, the only hotel to sit directly on the shoreline. One of the two oldest hotels in Blackpool, work originally began in 1776 on what was then named Bailey’s Hotel it opened in 1785 and is now owned by Britannia Hotels
.
The hotel opened with 34 Bedrooms, three dining rooms, and a coffee lounge. At the time it was one of only 4 hotels in the fledgling resort. Of those only 2 remain; Bailey’s Hotel, which became the Metropole, and Forshaw’s, which became the Clifton Arms and is currently run as a Travelodge
. 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 a Robert Dickson and was renamed the Higher Royal Hotel. However this name was short lived 1852
In 1852, was taken over by Robert Rossall, who renamed it Rossall’s Dickson Hotel then soon afterwords (at least by 1867) reverted to the name Bailey’s.
In 1856, Blackpool's first promenade 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 construction of the promenade now left the hotel 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 arrived, they followed the line of the promenade taking 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 substantial renovation resulting in it 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.
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 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 Butlin's 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 (Scarborough)
and the Grand Hotel (Llandudno)
.
It has two restaurants and a coffee lounge, plus a games room with snooker table and darts boards.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the only hotel to sit directly on the shoreline. One of the two oldest hotels in Blackpool, work originally began in 1776 on what was then named Bailey’s Hotel it opened in 1785 and is now owned by Britannia Hotels
Britannia Hotels
Britannia Hotels is a United Kingdom based hotel company with 37 hotels across the country. Britannia operates at the budget end of the market, with hotels varying in price and star ratings around the country...
.
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 June the 14th, Mr Bailey began advertising his hotel in the Manchester Mercury newspaper.The hotel opened with 34 Bedrooms, three dining rooms, and a coffee lounge. At the time it was one of only 4 hotels in the fledgling resort. Of those only 2 remain; Bailey’s Hotel, which became the Metropole, and Forshaw’s, which became the Clifton Arms and is currently run as a Travelodge
Travelodge UK
Travelodge Hotels Limited is a private company operating in the hotels and hospitality industry throughout the United Kingdom. Branded simply as Travelodge or Travelodge UK, it is the second largest in the budget hotel sector and third biggest hotel chain in the UK by number of bedrooms...
. 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 a Robert Dickson and was renamed the Higher Royal Hotel. However this name was short lived 1852
In 1852, was taken over by Robert Rossall, who renamed it Rossall’s Dickson Hotel then soon afterwords (at least by 1867) reverted to the name Bailey’s.
In 1856, Blackpool's first promenade 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 construction of the promenade now left the hotel 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 arrived, they followed the line of the promenade taking 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 substantial renovation resulting in it 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.
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 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 Butlin's 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
Britannia Hotels
Britannia Hotels is a United Kingdom based hotel company with 37 hotels across the country. Britannia operates at the budget end of the market, with hotels varying in price and star ratings around the country...
along with other former Butlins Hotels such as the Grand Hotel (Scarborough)
Grand Hotel (Scarborough)
The Grand Hotel is a large hotel in Scarborough, England, overlooking the town's South Bay. It is now a Grade II* listed building that is owned by Britannia Hotels, and has undergone a £7 million refurbishment....
and the Grand Hotel (Llandudno)
Grand Hotel (Llandudno)
The Grand Hotel is a large hotel in Llandudno, Wales, overlooking the Promenade on the North Shore. It is owned by Britannia Hotels.-History:The history of the Grand Hotel begins with the construction of the bathhouse in 1855...
.
Today
Today the hotel has 209 bedrooms, and has been totally modernised.It has two restaurants and a coffee lounge, plus a games room with snooker table and darts boards.