The short and colourful history of lavish hotel with 50ft billiard room
Historian DR RICHARD TALBOT MBE looks back at the Queen’s Hotel - a forerunner of Hanley Town Hall
MY guess is that few in the city are aware that Hanley Town Hall is up for sale. This prominent Hanley building became a town hall in 1886, prior to which it was the prestigious Queen’s Hotel. Sadly, its life as a hotel extended just less than 20 years, but no one has explored its demise.
Yet its short life is full of intrigue. Why did the most attractive building in North Staffordshire close its doors?
The need for such a hotel came about because from the late 18th century, the combined townships of Hanley and Shelton were rapidly expanding with Hanley as the central town of the six and where most of local business was conducted and meetings were held.
In 1857, because of its growth and importance, the township of Hanley with Shelton become the first incorporated borough of the six towns. It became the prominent town of the Potteries.
With its newfound status of a county borough, the town council and leading citizens came to realise that a hotel which outshone all others was important to attract business.
As a result, they came together to form the Hanley Hotel Company in July, 1864 offering four thousand shares at £5 each for sale.
Hanley, they declared, was the centre of the Potteries and frequented by china and earthenware dealers, commercial travellers and as such there was an urgent need for public functions and superior accommodation.
By the end of 1865, a site near to the centre of town had been decided upon and in August the following year Scrivener & Sons of Hanley were appointed as architects.
By April 1869, the new hotel was sufficiently near to completion that the directors advertised the Queen’s Hotel nationally ‘To be let for a term of years and containing every possible requisite of a first-class family and commercial hotel’.
Finally, after four years in the planning and prior to its official opening, the new hotel was opened for public viewing on January 1, 1869.
With a wide circulation of press publicity, crowds from all parts of Hanley and the Potteries, dressed for the occasion in their Sunday finery, waited in anticipation on the hotel steps.
The style was of modern Italian, constructed of red brick with white brick and Ashlar dressings with slate roof creating an imposing exterior even today. For those who trod the floors that day, the interior was luxury beyond imagination in contrast to the rows of terraced houses with outside ducket lavatories at the bottom of the yard.
Rooms were high and spacious. The principal space was given to the commercial rooms – a 36ft long showroom, public meeting rooms, huge billiard room measuring no less then 50ft long together with the dining room of the same proportions.
The bar was placed at the centre of the building, opposite the entrance hall from where the principal rooms led off. The manager’s room adjoined the bar, and a waiter’s room was nearby. The butler’s pantry and plate closet were close to the principal staircase. Then there were the porters and luggage rooms, coffee room and smoke room. The basement contained numerous sellers, boiler house, icehouse, wash house, and laundry.
On the first floor there were two large board or private sitting rooms, 14 bedrooms, two dressing rooms, bathroom and housemaid’s room: on the second floor, 11 bedrooms, two dressing rooms, one bathroom, linen closet and housemaids room, and on the third floor 13 bedrooms one bathroom, a linen closet and housemaids room.
In addition, there were lavatories on every floor, and a hoist for lifting coals and water to the upper floors. The furniture was of the newest and richest description, costing between £4,000 and £5,000. All bedrooms were furnished in mahogany, and on the first and second floors crimson red hangings were attached to the bedsteads. The total cost of the building was £15,000.
It had its own bowling green to the rear, exactly where the Victoria Hall now stands. This was a private bowling club and well supported by the gentry of the town.
The Queen’s Hotel was formally inaugurated on Thursday, January 6, 1870 with the most lavish, banquet followed by a formal ball. The guest list was endless with the Rt.hon. Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury at the top followed by the board of directors, the mayor, aldermen and councillors, Mr Robert Scrivener, and their guests.
The hotel flourished. Its style and ambience attracted the best clientele in the district together with trade exhibitions, conferences, and meetings. It was a huge success and the directors and shareholders were delighted.
Their investments appeared both secured and profitable as the Potteries were booming along with the whole world between the years 1850 and 1870. But The euphoria was short lived as the Potteries was hit by a severe worldwide depression in trade by 1873 which lasted until the mid-1890s. As a result, with the huge running costs and mortgage in the centre of a relative, poor working-class area, declining business meant the hotel could not meet creditors’ demands.
Consequently, a meeting of the directors was held in March 1876 where the accounts were presented showing a current trade debt of £2,451 and a bank overdraft of £2,860. The directors failed to grasp the seriousness of the situation and carried on in the hope things would improve.
But things did not and at a meeting held a year later with the creditors and shareholders in attendance it was agreed to defer a decision on liquidation for a further three months. It was noted that the takings per week had reduced to £130.
In the meantime, the hotel continued to function despite rising debts and an unrealistic view that things could only get better. But there was no hope.
It was almost a year after that a further meeting of shareholders and creditors was held. Here the arguments continued to find a solution; just pay off creditors under £10; a further share issue to raise more capital - but neither was put to the vote, the only conclusion was to avoid the inevitable for now. Finally, on
January 3, 1878 with no resolution the hotel was put into liquidation and placed into the hands of Mr Charles Butters for auction. Four days later The Evening Sentinel declared that ‘the problem with the Queen’s Hotel is that it was principally built on such a large elaborate scale, beyond the immediate requirements of the district. If the premises were purchased at a moderate price, it may be possible to see it continuing’.
The auction room in Trinity Street was packed to the doors as the auction started on Wednesday, February 27. It was stated that the Queen’s was without doubt the finest building in the Potteries – and if built today the cost would be more than £30,000. The first bid was for just £4,000, then as usual practice it continued in steps of £500 until the final bid of £7,350 was made by Mr. J. T. Keeling, a director of the Queen’s Hotel. However, in addition to the sale price there was also added to that the outstanding mortgage of £8,700. All appeared done and dusted until Mr Keeling was suddenly taken ill. But the cause was not lost as it passed to Mr. Charles Turner for the sum of £12,000. Having paid £1,200 deposit, pending contract Turner decided not to proceed, leaving Mr Keeling in a dilemma. He approached Hanley Borough Council.
The matter was debated on March 10 which included not only the full council but also the burgesses of Hanley. It became clear that the council had been actively seeking a resolution to the replacement of the old town hall for seven years, looking at other sites and exploring the possibility of the demolition of the old building, acquiring adjacent properties and building a new town hall. This cost was estimated to be well more than £60,000, far greater than the purchase of the Queen’s, plus around £2,000 for alterations.
The debate however moved onto the provision of a large assembly hall for the town with an estimated cost of £3-6,000. And where would it go - to the rear of the hotel on a site used for a bowing green. The final vote was 15 for and 12 against going ahead with the Queen’s Hotel plan.
They met on June 1, 1883 to debate the issue of the hotel Finally, the decision was made to purchase the Queen’s Hotel from Mr Turner at the agreed price of £12,000 plus £50 towards his legal expenses.
It took three years to convert the hotel into the new Hanley Town Hall which opened in July 1886. But more about that next week.