The New Railway Hotel in Preston - The Park Hotel

The New Railway Hotel in Preston
Became The Park Hotel

The New Railway Hotel in Preston - The Park Hotel

RAILWAY HOTEL, PRESTON - This hotel will afford an eligible opportunity for breaking a tedious railway ride, situate as it is about midway between London and Edinburgh. The building has been erected under the superintendence of Mr J B Stanley of Euston, London, the contractors being Messrs R Neill and Son of this city [Manchester]. The design has been to secure ready access to the station, simplicity of internal arrangement combined with picturesqueness of exterior, at a reasonable cost. The primary estimated cost was between £29,000 and £33,000. The style is ornamental. The material used is red Ruabon bricks, with Crosshill stone strings and dressings and ornamental tiles forming panels under the windows. The frontage to the south is 174 feet and to the west 152 feet. There is a coffee room on the ground floor 42 feet 6 inches by 28 feet; a drawing room, 23 feet 9 inches by 26 feet; a reading room 18 feet 6 inches by 18 feet 6 inches; with smoke, billiard and commercial rooms and other accommodation. The hotel contains 33 double and 20 single bedrooms, and ten private sitting rooms, besides private suites on the first and second floors. The upper floors are reached by a separate stone staircase at each end of the building, and there is a hydraulic lift to each of the three floors for passengers and luggage, also a service lift from the basement and culinary department to each floor. Ventilating tubes are fixed to every room and the tower acts as a ventilator. Although the hotel stands in its own grounds, isolated from other buildings and removed from the railway, it is immediately accessible from the main platform by a commodious covered gallery and bridge. Passengers from the north or south can reach or leave the hotel with their luggage by their side. A fine esplanade about 400 feet long and 14 feet wide is reserved for visitors, overlooking the Miller Park, to which it is connected by a flight of steps. 

[Manchester Guardian 25 August 1882 page 8]

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The New Railway Hotel in Preston - The Park Hotel

COMPETITIONS.

PROPOSED RAILWAY HOTEL AT PRESTON.-About forty designs have been submitted for the proposed new hotel at Preston, which is to be built at East Cliff; but up to the present moment we find no arrangements have been made for their exhibition, and the drawings have only just been unpacked. The new hotel will be built to connect by a covered way with the new station, while the principal windows will have a commanding view over the public gardens and country. The situation is an elevated one, and we hear that many of the designs are in picturesque styles. We understand several local firms have competed, and that the claims of one of them have been put forward rather unfairly.

The Building news and engineering journal v.38 :1 (1880)

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/s2rvsg8jr19&seq=264

The New Railway Hotel (later Park Hotel) East Cliff Preston

The Architect Thomas Mitchell gained the first premium of £200 in an open competition to design The New Railway Hotel at East Cliff in Preston during 1880 and was awarded the commission.  The Hotel was constructed between 1880 and 1882.  The commission was for the London and North Western and Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Companies.  The building contractor was Robert Neill & Sons of Manchester. 

The New Railway Hotel, Preston - Reference to Ground Plan

Thomas Mitchell (FRIBA) was a prominent 19th-century Victorian architect based in Oldham and Manchester, known for his civic, commercial, and ecclesiastical commissions across Lancashire and the North West.

See the Architects of Greater Manchester 1800 - 1940 website:
(Manchester Victorian Architects)

https://manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk/architects/thomas-mitchell

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Proposed Entrance From The New Railway Hotel to the Miller Park

The consideration of the amended plans as to the West Lancashire railway bridge across the Ribble was postponed.-The Sub-committee reported that they had not as yet met the directors of the London and North-Western Railway Company with reference to the proposed entrance from the new Railway Hotel to the Miller Park.-The park keeper reported that a large number of plants in the public parks had been destroyed by the advent of the recent frosts. It was decided that £20 be expended for the replacing of these plants. The members present at the meeting were Aldermen Benson (chairman), Satterthwaite, and Park; Councillors Y. W. Booth, G. Toulmin, Hogarth, B. Walmsley, Hayes, Dobson, Gudgeon, and Wade.

Local News.
Date: Saturday,  Feb. 19, 1881
Publication: Preston Chronicle

Gale Primary Sources, British Library Newspapers:

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/Y3207492993/BNCN?u=lancs&sid=bookmark-BNCN&pg=5&xid=b7cb9c89

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The New Railway Hotel in Preston - The Park Hotel

ACCIDENT AT THE NEW RAILWAY HOTEL.-On Tuesday morning, a serious accident happened to a brick-layer's labourer, named Jos. O'Leary, who was employed at the railway hotel in course of construction at East-cliff. He was standing on the scaffolding around one of the chimneys emptying a hod of bricks, when, by some means or other, he overbalanced himself and fell. His fall was broken by coming into contact with some girders, but he went through down to the cellar floor, a distance of over 70 feet. He alighted on his side, and when picked up was unconscious. He was at once taken to the Infirmary, and it was found on examination that he was badly injured about the head and upper part of the body. No bones were broken, however, and hopes are entertained of his speedy recovery. O'Leary, who is a married man, with a family of four or five children, is about 32 years of age, and resided off St. George's-road. 

Local News.

Date: Saturday,  Oct. 29, 1881
Publication: Preston Chronicle 

Gale Primary Sources, British Library Newspapers: 

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/Y3207494214/BNCN?u=lancs&sid=bookmark-BNCN&pg=5&xid=c4662dcd

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The New Railway Hotel in Preston - The Park Hotel

REARING SUPPER. - The new Railway Hotel rearing supper was held on Saturday evening last, at the Black Horse Hotel, Friargate, when an excellent supper was provided for the occasion by the proprietor, Mr. J. Bell, after which the usual toasts wore given and responded to. The rest of the evening was spent in songs, &c., in a very enjoyable manner.

Local News.
Date: Saturday,  Dec. 24, 1881
Publication: Preston Chronicle 

Gale Primary Sources, British Library Newspapers: 

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/Y3207494504/BNCN?u=lancs&sid=bookmark-BNCN&pg=4&xid=ef4b7bb8

In 19th-century building terminology, “rearing” referred to the raising of the building's structure, particularly getting the walls and/or roof structure substantially erected.

A rearing supper was essentially a builders' celebratory meal held when the construction had reached that milestone. It was a bit like a topping-out ceremony, although the terminology and precise stage could vary.

The tradition was particularly associated with the building trades. Once the bricklayers, masons, carpenters and other workers had successfully got the structure up, the builder or owner would provide food and drink for those involved.

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The New Railway Hotel in Preston - The Park Hotel

NEW APPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC-HOUSE LICENSES.-New Railway Hotel.-Mr. Hinton, representing the London and North-Western Railway Company and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, applied for a license for the new Railway Station Hotel, at East-cliffs. He said that it was a hotel second to none in the county. It contains 78 rooms, 63 of which were bedrooms, 13 entertaining-rooms, and eight private rooms, besides private suites "of rooms and other conveniences. The ground on which the hotel was built had been purchased under an Act of Parliament, which specified the purpose for which the promises were to be used, and, therefore, it became practically simply an application for confirmation of the license. He might say that the traffic over the lines to - Preston had increased greatly of recent years, and there 3 Evidence was taken to show that the house would be a 1 lane, by Mr. Blackhurst, on behalf of John Duckett. He was, therefore, a greater necessity for such an hotel.- great convenience and to show that such hotels were now very common at other terminii of the company's lines.

Application was also made for premises in South Meadow urged that the premises would be a convenient resort for commercial travellers, &c., passing through the town.-

Mr. Parker, on behalf of Richard Tuson, applied for a license to the Geoffrey Arms, 1, Geoffrey-street, and the Maitland-street. The premises have a yearly value of £40, and application had previously been made for a license to them. The application was opposed by Mr. Cooper. 

DECISIONS. The magistrates then retired to consider the applications that bad been heard, and on returning into Court, ALDERMAN SATTERTHWAITE announced, that all the applications for provisional grants had been refused; in regard to applications for new public-houses, only that for the New Railway Hotel at East Cliff, had been granted, the others being refused. The whole of the wine licenses applied for were granted; application of Martha Taylor, for beer on or off, refused; that of William Sumner, for - beer and wine off, refused; Richard Leach, and Henry James Poole, for beer off, refused; Martin Sweeney, for -beer off, granted. The Licensing Committee then sat, the Mayor (E. Birley, Esq.) presiding, and the licenses granted were confirmed.

PRESTON LICENSING SESSIONS.
Date: Saturday,  Aug. 26, 1882
Publication: Preston Chronicle 

Gale Primary Sources, British Library Newspapers: 

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/Y3207495682/BNCN?u=lancs&sid=bookmark-BNCN&pg=3&xid=0596d162

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The New Railway Hotel in Preston - The Park Hotel

THE NEW RAILWAY HOTEL.

Alderman BENSON moved that there be passed under the common seal an agreement between the Corporation on the one part, and the London and North Western Rail way Company and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company on the other part, for user of gate leading from the Railway Park Hotel into Miller Park. Alderman GILBERTSON asked whether this agreement would be handed over before the agreement regarding the entrance to the railway station from East Cliff was ready. He hoped there would be a mutual understanding. The TOWN CLERK said there was another agreement to be prepared in reference to the entrance to the station. The motion was then put and carried.

PRESTON TOWN COUNCIL.
Date: Saturday,  Feb. 24, 1883
Publication: Preston Chronicle 

Gale Primary Sources, British Library Newspapers: 

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/Y3207496610/BNCN?u=lancs&sid=bookmark-BNCN&pg=5&xid=c577eb7c

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The New Railway Hotel in Preston - The Park Hotel

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