Midland Hotel, Manchester

The Midland Hotel stands on Peter Street in central Manchester, facing St Peter’s Square. Built between 1898 and 1903 for the Midland Railway, it was designed by Charles Trubshaw in Edwardian Baroque style and is now a Grade II* listed building. The hotel was opened in 1903 to serve Manchester Central railway station, the northern terminus for express trains to London St Pancras. It cost over a million pounds to build, an enormous sum for the time. The hotel once had a 1,000-seat theatre and a roof terrace where a string quartet played. The hotel has been at the centre of notable events and connections. Charles Rolls met Henry Royce here in 1904, leading to the formation of Rolls-Royce Limited. The Queen Mother dined in the Trafford Restaurant in 1959 after a Royal Variety Performance. The Beatles were refused entry to the French Restaurant for being “inappropriately dressed.” During the Second World War, American intelligence speculated that the area around the town hall was spared bombing to avoid damaging the hotel. Adolf Hitler allegedly admired the building as a possible Nazi headquarters in Britain. Today the Midland Hotel has 312 en-suite bedrooms and 14 suites, along with a health club and two restaurants. Adam Reid at The French offers fine dining and was once one of Britain’s first Michelin-starred restaurants. Mount Street Dining Room & Bar provides contemporary menus in a refurbished space. The hotel is close to Manchester Central exhibition and conference centre, the Bridgewater Hall and Manchester Central Library. Its red-brick and terracotta façade, with modelled panels by Edward Caldwell Spruce, reflects Manchester’s industrial heritage.