# Appreciation thread for the Britannia "Hotel" in Manchester, UK



## esotericNepalese (Jan 5, 2022)

I don't live in Manchester or even in the UK, but I stumbled across this so-called "hotel" as I was scrolling through reddit. I searched it up on our forum to see if anyone was talking about it, but it looks like nobody's given this building any love yet. So I'm starting an appreciation thread. Just look at this beauty!!!



(Try to ignore the cheap, tasteless banners.)

It's crazy to me how thousands of people walk past a building like this every day and don't care whatsoever, they don't even give it a second thought. To the public eye, this is nothing more than one of those creepy old hotels.




A feast for the eyes, inside and out. Could these ornate handrails also be creations of the old world?


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## Rhayader (Jan 5, 2022)

A lot of Britannia hotels are in grand buildings whose glory days were long ago. Grand hotel Scarborough is probably the best example (that I know). Oddly enough I never stayed at this one, maybe once, but the other Britannia hotel not far away was always cheaper and more convenient.


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## Gypsum Fantastic (Jan 10, 2022)

I've stayed in it twice (I think) though that was many years ago before I'd heard of any old world reset theories so I wouldn't have properly appreciated at the time what this building actually could have been part of originally. When I stayed you could see the hotel group's standards had fallen since they originally opened as a grand hotel, as it felt a bit grubby and unloved, especially in comparison to the splendour of the building.

According to the official website it was originally a warehouse  . One might ponder that this building is somewhat ornate for a humble warehouse...
The History of Britannia Manchester Hotel


> *The History of Britannia Manchester Hotel*
> 
> The Britannia Manchester is a traditional and beautiful Hotel, located in the heart of the Manchester city centre, which dates back to the late 19th century. Situated in the heart of Piccadilly Gardens on Portland Street, The Britannia Manchester is one of the most accessible and conveniently placed hotels in Manchester for shopping and sight-seeing and is only a short distance from the city’s main train stations. Not only is this hotel set in the heart of the city, but it is also a distinguished landmark, known for both its beautiful exterior, style and décor. The renowned, sweeping cantilever is thought to be one of its most impressive features, located in the grand entrance of the hotel. This Grade II listed building is not only a beautiful property but is filled with fascinating history throughout the last couple of centuries, making it a well worth visit, as well as a read.





> *The Watts Warehouse & History of Manchester*
> 
> The building we now know as The Britannia Manchester Hotel was not always used in the hospitality business. The building was established back in the 1800s as a warehouse, serving the Lancashire cotton industry. Greater Manchester began to be known as the international centre of the cotton and textile trade during the 19th century, with towns in surrounding areas forming the largest and most productive cotton spinning centre in the world by 1871, making 32% of global cotton production.
> 
> ...





> *The World Wars and the Fire*
> 
> There have been links to the warehouse and World War I, due to the fact that several of the employees who worked at the warehouse lost their lives during the war. The employees who became soldiers in World War I have now been commemorated with a marble plaque placed at the entrance of the Hotel to mark those who died in 1922.
> 
> Although the warehouse had already narrowly avoided damage from an previous attack by the German Luftwaffe, its luck soon changed. The amateur fire brigade formed by company employees tried to rescue the building which was bombed heavily by the Germans. However, they were ultimately powerless in preventing the fire from spreading, and the building had to be evacuated. Nonetheless, small areas of the warehouse were saved due to the building being smothered in textiles. It was also stated that the same fire brigade saved nearby properties from completely burning down the next day, despite cuts in the water supply. Their efforts are thought to be the main reason the neighbouring buildings are still standing to this day. Eventually the textile industry in Manchester went into decline, with the Watts family selling the iconic building to the Lyon Group in 1973.





> *Decay and Resurrection*
> 
> The new owners’ plan to make the warehouse into a fully refurbished office building did not last more than a year after the purchase of the building. In 1974, the Lyons Group declared bankruptcy, leaving the future of the building in jeopardy. Initial plans involved demolition, yet a relative of the Watts brothers launched a campaign opposing this, which subsequently gained enough support to save the building from being destroyed.
> 
> Thankfully, the old warehouse was allowed to remain standing in its traditional spot in Portland Street. It didn’t take more than a few years for the building to find a new lease of life in a new area of hospitality. The building had gained a Grade II listed status in 1952 due to the grand architecture and rich history that followed the hotel.





> *From Warehouse to Hotel*
> 
> Britannia Hotels purchased the building in 1979, and promptly began refurbishing so that it could be converted into an impressive hotel. Whilst undertaking these renovations Britannia was careful to preserve the unique style and identity of the Watts building. The renowned entrance stairway, already a prominent feature of the building, was kept intact, giving a feel of elegance to what is currently the hotel’s main lobby. Unsurprisingly, this staircase remains one of the most lavish features of the Britannia Hotel along with its five floors and 363 bedrooms, and has been a popular hotel for tourists visiting the Manchester area.



The building also reminds me of the House of Fraser building in Glasgow where I live. I'll publish a separate thread for that as there has been some news breaking about the building which might also be of interest to this site.


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## Gypsum Fantastic (Jan 11, 2022)

esotericNepalese said:


> I hope they're not planning to tear down your building?


Well it's Mike Ashley who now owns the struggling retailer so that's exactly what that parasite is likely waiting to do, since the building is in prime city centre location that he can make big profits from.


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## Silent Bob (Jan 17, 2022)

This is the Britannia hotel in Hull









But that's nothing compared to the one in sleepy little Scarborough, a seaside town 40 miles from where I live in Hull - It's called the Grand, and is owned by Britannia once again.... Today the population of Scarborough is around 100,000 today but would have been around 30,000 when this was supposedly built.


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## Jd755 (Jan 17, 2022)

Scarborough never used to be a 'sleepy' little town Do a bit of digging in the local archives and you will find the numbers visiting the place all summer long reveal it to be anything but sleepy which is why the hotel and many others in the area went up.


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## Lazy (Jan 17, 2022)

A big reason I re-registered with SH was because of this thread.
I stayed for a week in Butlins Grand Hotel in Scarborough 1984. Victorian spender!! Americans would be in uk disneyland haha!! The Bronte sisters stayed there but not when I was there..
Even back then the lifts failed, the comedians failed, the Butlins redcoats failed. Bedroom windows were covered in seagull whitewash. It was bad then.
A while ago I was looking at reviews of the 'grand' Hotel on TripAdvisor. Cripes. Disgusting. Managed Decline. Like a lot of things.
Extremley imposing building though. Funicular railways either side of it too
j.savile was installed in concrete very very near hmmm


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## Silent Bob (Jan 19, 2022)

Lazy said:


> A big reason I re-registered with SH was because of this thread.
> I stayed for a week in Butlins Grand Hotel in Scarborough 1984. Victorian spender!! Americans would be in uk disneyland haha!! The Bronte sisters stayed there but not when I was there..
> Even back then the lifts failed, the comedians failed, the Butlins redcoats failed. Bedroom windows were covered in seagull whitewash. It was bad then.
> A while ago I was looking at reviews of the 'grand' Hotel on TripAdvisor. Cripes. Disgusting. Managed Decline. Like a lot of things.
> ...


They definitely want to create negative sentiment towards these old buildings. Just look at this recent story about how it was planned to be Hitler's HQ in the UK if he won the war...... Apparantly the Luftwaffe pilots faced a court martial if they dropped a single bomb on the hotel.

Hitler's plan to run Third Reich Britain from £35 a night budget hotel


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## esotericNepalese (Jan 19, 2022)

Silent Bob said:


> They definitely want to create negative sentiment towards these old buildings. Just look at this recent story about how it was planned to be Hitler's HQ in the UK if he won the war...... Apparantly the Luftwaffe pilots faced a court martial if they dropped a single bomb on the hotel.
> 
> Hitler's plan to run Third Reich Britain from £35 a night budget hotel


That's such a dirty trick. This may be an oversimplification, but here's my guess: they're hoping that by associating the hotel with Hitler, people won't want to stay there. And if people don't want to stay there, then the hotel goes out of business. And if the hotel goes out of business, then what happens to this building? If this is their plan, I'm not surprised at all.

I'm repeating myself from another post, but I think the fact that many old world buildings are designated as government buildings and churches means people will develop a hatred towards these buildings (due to a hatred towards the government and the church). And thus, if my theory is correct, everyday citizens won't be in a hurry to defend these buildings should they ever come crashing to the ground.



Lazy said:


> j.savile was installed in concrete very very near hmmm


I had to look that up, but now what Silent Bob said makes even more sense.


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## Jd755 (Jan 19, 2022)

Does nobody read any more?

From the linked site


> Hitler's plan to run Third Reich Britain from £35 a night budget Scarborough hotel​Documents were *reportedly unearthed *revealing the Fuhrer's plans but *one Hull historian says the evidence is scant*


They missed St Pauls.
Here they missed a huge shipyard. I'm pretty sure there are many structures much bigger than the hotel the bombers missed. Assuming of course the bombers were flying planes not walking the earth if you get my drift. A landmine supposedly took out the local main train station here and yet miraculously the housing and workshops that surrounded it back then and still do today mainly suffered broken windows only five directly opposite the station suffered structural damage. The station itself was out of action for a day or two whilst the glass and cast iron canopy that was over all the platforms was cleared and then it was never touched again The landmine 'hole' was actually nearer to the houses than the station and so if it was aerial bombers they missed their target if it was the 'home team' as I suspect but cannot find any evidence for, then they achieved their aim perfectly.
EDIT to add
They also missed a huge steelworks, and adjacent ironworks and an adjacent wireworks. Which were a quarter mile away from the shipyard and docks and to cap it all were linked by railways lines, which shine on moonlight nights. traversed by steam engines spewing smoke and cinders as were the smelters and the foundries in the works and shipyards. Seems to good to be true but it is.
A slight wander I know but this sort of media tittle tattle is evidence of nothing and is put out purely to get people interested running round in circles.
In WW1 a German warship or three shelled Scarborough and they too managed to miss the hotel  Must have had the future Hitler Headquarters memo a little early!


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## Lazy (Jan 19, 2022)

kd-755 said:


> Does nobody read any more?
> 
> From the linked site
> 
> ...


The Luftwaffe failed to bomb other targets in wierd ways. I have no sources other than oral history from my youth.

From the top of my head, Consett steelworks. At least one mission failed as they completley missed a big big complex on top of an 800 foot hill with constant red dust surging from the chimneys. So a local graveyard was bombed as well as empty spaces. Some of the bomb craters are still there. The best one I remember is Durham Cathedral. Apparently as the bombers were heading towards this wonderful imposing building, a fog suddenly appeared and the pilots got lost and aborted the mission. They say St Cuthbert protected his tomb that day.

Fair enough if it was an ancient myth, but an 80 year old myth?

Not to derail the thread I just had to reply to posts after mine regarding the third reich failed attacks these structures


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## ojwang (Mar 14, 2022)

esotericNepalese said:


> View attachment 15386​
> I don't live in Manchester or even in the UK, but I stumbled across this so-called "hotel" as I was scrolling through reddit. I searched it up on our forum to see if anyone was talking about it, but it looks like nobody's given this building any love yet. So I'm starting an appreciation thread. Just look at this beauty!!!
> 
> View attachment 15387​(Try to ignore the cheap, tasteless banners.)
> ...



I live in Manchester so will go and have a really good look at it. Thanks for the heads up. The pictures look absolutely amazing. No idea how many times I may have passed it/or not.  I'll feedback after I've been there.


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