The Midland Hotel - Morecambe
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Pre-1933 - Two Midland Hotels side by side
Visible construction of the New Midland Hotel and consequent demolition of the Original Midland Hotel believed to be circa 1931 and reproduced courtesy of Mandy Sharpe and the Morecambe & Heysham Past and Present Fb page
The Hotel - Opening Soon
From the Burnley Express & Advertiser dated 25th May 1933
One month later the Burnley Express & Advertiser dated 24th June is still announcing the opening of the new Midland Hotel
Welcome to the The Midland Hotel - The Beginning 1933
The Hotel Opens!
Article courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive
NEW £70,000 HOTEL FOR MORECAMBE Opening by Lord Derby
Morecambe’s new L.M.S. Hotel, a striking landmark in the centre of the Promenade, which has cost £70,000, was opened this afternoon by Lord Derby in the presence of Sir Josiah Stamp, president of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, directors, and chief officials, together with civic representatives, including the Lord Mayors of Liverpool, Bradford, and other cities. The new hotel is an imposing curved structure finished in white and electrically polished to a surface resembling white marble. It stands out in gloaming prominence, and can be seen for miles around. The opening of the hotel represented the first stage in the development the old harbour site, which up to last year was used ship-breaking depot and to 1904 was the Midland Railway Co.’s chief port for Ireland. The harbour and land adjoining have recently been purchased by the Morecambe Corporation for £57,000, and a comprehensive scheme calculated to cost nearly a quarter a million pounds is before the Ministry of Health. This includes the construction of the largest indoor bathing pool in the country, a Crystal Hall, sunken band arena, wave baths, paddling pool, bathing chalets, sun bathing reservation and garden pools and fountains.
LAST WORD IN EQUIPMENT
These attractions are to harmonise with the hotel, which is the last word in construction and equipment, and is the only one of its kind in this country. On the flat roof, from which magnificent panoramic views are available, there is a solarium in which guests will be able to take sunbaths and sunray treatment in private. The hotel has 42 bedrooms, many being provided with sun balconies overlooking the hay. The hotel built on the site of the old Midland Hotel, which was erected in 1847 by the London and North-Western Railway, and was subsequently taken over by the Midland Railway. Huge crowds gathered outside the hotel before the opening, and there were cheers when Lord Derby and other prominent guests arrived by special train and walked across the Promenade from the railway station to the new hotel. There was no formal opening ceremony, all the programme being carried out inside.
The Hotel - Exterior
A beautifully staged, architectural view, of the approach to the hotel from the Promenade - image courtesy of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
Aerial views of the Midland taken in 1933 prior to opening - image courtesy of www.britainfromabove.org.uk
Image provenance unknown but the likelihood is that this image was also taken on or before the opening of the hotel in 1933
Image sourced from Mandy Sharpe and Morecambe & Heysham present & past Fb
The Hotel - Promoting L.M.S.
How can you resist such an invitation? Looks like LMS used a franchise called 'Midland Hotels' from St. Pancras, London in the south to the Midland in Morecambe in the north!
Travelling to the Midland Hotel (in style)
Travellers would receive luggage labels to attach to their belongings issued by Arthur Towle, Controller, LMS Hotel Services
When this rare and scarce item appeared on ebay the seller kindly provided the dimensions of the item (I was outbid!)
I recreated the image to show how it might have looked when pristine and brand new or straight off the printing machine
The Hotel - Interior
And from RIBA - the restaurant decked out in all its Glory
The Lounge walls are veneered with Makore (a specific wood veneer) and the horizontal bands are in a vellum coloured Patapsco. The small circular bar is shown on the right hand side.
The North end of the hall showing the tubular section glazed metal grille to the dining room in polished aluminium. The plate glass is partly acid obscured.
In the Dining Room the walls are veneered with white ash burr (marquetry), stainless steel strips dividing the panels. The curtains are of ivory coloured snowflake satin. The lighting is from the dado upwards, illuminating the walls and also from the ceiling, with suspended diffuses of wide plate glass also partly sandblasted.
Top - Hall floor confirming that the inlaid mosaics were of a silver colour / Bottom - closer detail of the tubular section glazed screen leading to the dining room service doors in polished aluminium.
In the Private Sitting Room the furniture is white ash burr upholstered in string coloured woven fabric. The curtains and cushions are blue and white silk. - These images are from the Architecture Illustrated of June/September 1933 a copy of which I own.
The Rotunda (in preparation)
Eric Ravilious and his wife Eileen Lucy "Tirzah" Garwood in 1933 working on the Rotunda murals
The Hotel - Designer Tableware
A napkin with the Marion Dorn design of the seahorse feature synonymous with the Midland is provided to keep crumbs away from your Sunday best
An LMS Midland Hotel, Morecambe, china soup bowl with blue sea horse motif by Royal Cauldon, 8" diameter - source GCR Auctions
Cream Jug with the Marion Dorn Seahorse Design used throughout the hotel
Sugar Bowl
Saucer
Hallmark used on the Midland cutlery
A LMS seahorse pattern tea cup and saucer by Royal Cauldon this pattern was used at the Midland Hotel, Morecambe and The Lochalsh Hotel at Kyle
Soup spoon with engraved hallmark (see above) - source GCR Auctions
Curved side dish
Each of the four examples shown above have their own identifying stamp (provenance) on the base - all images courtesy of the Science Museum Group
And finally you can round off your visit with a nice cup of tea! Personal property of and image courtesy of Talisman Auctions
The last time we visited the Midland we were lucky enough to spot this nice 'retro' display in the hotel reception area - I quite like the reflection of the stairwell in the bottom picture - images © of J Anna Ludlow
An LMS Seahorse pattern china Soup Bowl by Royal Cauldon, dating from 1933-35. The LMS was keen on exclusive patterns of crockery for its flagship hotels, and chose the Seahorse pattern for the new Midland Hotel, Morecambe, to complement the Marion Dorn mosaic in the hotel's foyer, and the Eric Gill sculptures on the front. BR sold the Midland in 1952 and transferred what remained of the crockery to its Kyle of Lochalsh Hotel. - Image and description sourced from : gwra.co.uk
By the mid-1930s the former 'Station Hotel' had been shaped into the LMS Mould and given all the trappings provided by Mr. Towle - images sourced from : exceptthekylesandwesternisles.blogspot.com
I hope you enjoyed the quick overview of the Midland in 1933
Visit the Midland Gallery of the early years
See what other 'Notable Events' were happening in 1933
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