Queen Victoria gave ‘good and handsome’ railway hotel her Royal seal of approval
Bygones contributor Brian Stubbs details the time the monarch and her family stayed not once – but twice – at a famous city inn during 19th Century
IN the Derby Mercury of June 2, 1841, an advert appeared, placed by the North Midland Railway, on behalf of it’s newly built Midland Hotel and Posting House. It read: “J Hall begs to announce to the nobility and Gentry, that this hotel under his management is open for their accommodation, and where, he trusts, those who honour him with their patronage, will find the style and comfort of the establishment equal of that to any in the country.
“Porters are in constant attendance on the arrival of the several trains at Derby, for the removal of luggage, etc to the hotel”
And so began the history of one of Derby’s most famous hotels. It was built at the end of the newly constructed Midland Road, opposite the recently opened railway station.
It was designed by Francis Thompson to cater initially for the many first class passengers who were beginning to use the trains.
He also designed the Brunswick Inn in Railway Terrace, which had been built to accommodate railwaymen and second class passengers, and opened the following year.
In 1843 the North Midland, Midland Counties and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railways amalgamated and the following year merged with the Midland Railway.
This greatly simplified the operation of services at Derby as, since its opening as a permanent station, only had the one long platform and had frequently caused chaos for passengers as they scrambled to board trains belonging to the various railway companies.
The first manager of the Midland only stayed for two years and in 1843 was succeeded by John Cuff.
In his History & Directory of the Borough of Derby, printed in 1843, Stephen Glover described the Midland Hotel as: “A commodious establishment. It is elegantly furnished and contains upwards of fifty superior bedrooms and numerous dining and sitting rooms.
“This hotel, and the first and second class refreshment rooms [at Derby Station] are under the able management of Mr Cuff.”
Indeed, so well known and respected had John Cuff become, in his role as manager of the refreshment rooms, that it wasn’t long before people started to refer to the new hotel as “Cuff’s Midland Hotel”. During the ten years of his management he was the driving force in developing the prestige of the hotel and his overseeing of two Royal Family stopovers did much to enhance it’s reputation.
In 1843 the young Queen Victoria and her family had stopped for a short time at Derby station, aboard the royal train while on route to the north. She was no stranger to this new form of travel as, the previous year, she had become the first British monarch to use a train when she journeyed from Slough to London Paddington.
The assistant driver that day was non other than Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The Queen’s loyal coachman had also insisted on riding on the footplate, but later regretted that decision when arriving at Paddington as the smoke and soot from the engine had ruined his scarlet livery!
On Friday, September 28, 1849, the Queen made her first overnight stay at the Midland Hotel.
The Royal train had pulled into a packed Derby station at a little after 6pm. A 31-gun salute was fired outside as the Royal party stepped off the train onto crimson carpet that had been laid along the platform. She was accompanied by Prince Albert and four of her children. Her two eldest, Victoria, the Princess Royal and Albert, the Prince of Wales, followed by Princess Alice and Prince Alfred, were all helped into a carriage to take them the short distance to the Midland Hotel, whose entrance at that time was on the Midland Road.
A detachment of men from the Derby and Chaddesden Hussars was placed close to the hotel as guards and the Derby Mercury noted: “The Royal Standard and numerous Union Jacks floated over the various buildings, and the whole of the gas lamps, amounting, we believe, to more than a thousand, were lighted.”
After being greeted by John Cuff, the Royals were shown to their apartments which took up the whole of the first floor and the Mercury went on to say: “The state bed was made of mahogany and the external drapery consisted of a mixture of green, gold and silk damask, the interior being formed of richly embroidered muslin over pink satin.”
Indeed, the manager had gone to great lengths to make the Queen comfortable and had even made sure that a rosewood grand piano had been placed in the drawing room for her use.
That evening, after a sumptuous seven-course meal, Victoria spent some time playing it before retiring!
The next morning after an early breakfast, the Queen was seen at a window looking out at the Hussars drawn up outside. The Royal children had wanted some gifts as mementoes of their stay and the manager of a shop across the road was instructed to send over a selection of Derbyshire spar, a number of which were purchased!
Finally, Prince Albert thanked John Cuff for his arrangements and the Royal party boarded the train at 8-15. Within a few minutes it pulled out for it’s journey to Gloucester, with loud cheers following it out of the station.
In her journal, Victoria subsequently wrote: “At 6 we reached Derby, the hotel, a very good and handsome one is not actually in the town, but close to the station” and finished “We dined with our party – felt very tired”.
Prior to Victoria’s second stay at the Midland, John Cuff continued to push forward the development of the hotel services by setting up the Midland Hotel Wine and Spirit Department and in the Mercury of January 1851 placed an advert for the supply of a large selection of wines, spirits and ales for cash.
He also offered a New Year’s gift hamper of port, sherry, brandy and gin and stated: “A post office order of 22 shillings, from any part of the country, will have immediate
attention”.
On August 30, 1852, Queen Victoria and her family again made an overnight stop at the Midland on her journey north and as on her previous visit John Cuff was in charge of all the arrangements.
At just after six in the evening, the Royal Train had arrived at Derby station, where thousands of people had gathered to cheer the Queen and her party, as they made their way to the hotel.
After settling in, Prince Albert and his son, the ten-year-old Prince of Wales set out to visit the coach builders, Messrs Holmes Carriage Manufactory, who held an appointment to build coaches for the Royal Family, and whose premises were situated in nearby London Road.
The two Royals spent over an hour being shown around the various construction and painting areas and, when passing through the showrooms, both the Prince and his father took great delight in clambering in and out of the newly completed carriages and commenting how comfortable they were! On leaving, the workmen formed a guard of honour and Albert thanked them all.
It was noted that the Prince of Wales had taken a great interest in all he had seen and left the premises carrying some specimens of wood and metal that had been worked on in his presence.
At nine the following morning the Royal party left to continue their journey north to Holyrood Palace, amid loud cheers from the gathered crowd.
In her journal Victoria had written: “At 6 we arrived at Derby where I am now writing in the Railway Hotel, where we were three years ago.”
And the next day wrote: “We left Derby a little before nine, the station being just opposite the Hotel. The morning was very beautiful and it was very hot in the train, only the two eldest children went in our carriage.”
John Cuff was a remarkable man, a larger than life character who had worked hard to get on in life but always seemed restless to try other lifestyles. On the 1841 Census he was shown to be living in Willesden, London, with his wife Elizabeth and their then eight children – they were eventually to have 14 children, but not all survived – and giving his occupation as “Tavern Keeper”. Ten years later on the 1851 Census , he was living in a large house in Littleover, with an extended family and several servants and nursemaids.
At this time he was the manager of the Midland Hotel and the railway refreshment rooms, but simply gave his occupation, modestly as “Wine Merchant”.
Shortly after the Royal visit in 1852, he was already planning the next adventure in his life.
After selling his house and all the contents he left the Midland and took his wife and family to New Zealand, a nation that , in the mid 19th century, was expanding rapidly and welcomed immigration to help it develop.
In early 1853 , the Cuff household arrived in Lytleton Harbour, New Zealand aboard the HMS MINERVA.
During the first year he managed a hotel in that town before moving to Pigeon Bay, where, in 1855, with a partner, set up a sawmill which became very successful, as many new immigrants were starting to move into that part of New Zealand.
The following year he moved to Le Bons Bay, where he purchased the first plot of land put up for sale.
Initially living under canvas, he soon arranged for a house to be built and introduced the first cattle into the Bay area. He planted hundreds of walnut trees around his property, many of which are still growing there to this day.
Amazingly John even found time to become a member of the New Zealand parliament, representing the town of Akoroa, between the years 1855 and 1858.
In his later years, the lure of the hotel business drew him to Christchurch where he became manager of that city’s most prestigious hotel, the Royal.
He died in Christchurch in December 1864 at the age of 59 years. His wife Elizabeth lived on into her eighties and many of the children continued to live in New Zealand and had successful lives there.
Meanwhile back in Derby, the Midland Hotel continued to thrive.
The Midland Railway had taken it over in 1860 and over the next few decades many building improvements took place. In the 1930s, a new banqueting suite and conference room was added and the entrance relocated from the Midland Road, to face the station.
Central heating was also installed to ensure the hotel remained one of Derby’s most luxurious.
Today the hotel is Grade II-listed and is the oldest surviving railway hotel in Britain.
Now called Hallmark Hotels Derby Midland, it has recently undergone extensive refurbishment and, if you find yourself standing on the first floor of this historic hotel, and listen really hard, you may just be able to hear the chattering of Royal children in the corridors.