The Principal Hotel, York: One of the best-known hotels in York set for Art Deco-inspired makeover

The Principal Hotel, in Station Road next to York Railway Station, is set to be renamed The Milner following the end of the lease on the building.

Plans approved by York Council stated new signage, menu boxes, banners and other branding which harks back to the hotel’s 1930s heyday would be fitted around the building.

The hotel’s new name commemorates William Milner, the foreman of York Station who died during an air raid in 1942 during the Second World War.

It follows the takeover of The Principal by RBH Hospitality Management in March.

The company’s portfolio also includes The Met in Leeds, the Courtyard by Marriott in Sheffield and Middlesbrough’s Holiday Inn Express.

Planning documents stated that the building began life as The Royal York Hotel when it was constructed in 1878 to serve the adjoining station.

It followed the replacement of York’s first railway station with the one which remains in use today.

Three North Eastern Railway company architects worked on the hotel which was built using Scarborough brick and Tadcaster stone in an Italianate style.

An extension was added to the north east of the building in 1896 to accommodate an expanding number of guests.

Art Deco refurbishments were undertaken at the hotel in the 1930s which included a new entrance catering for larger numbers of guests using cars.

The building was granted Grade II-listed status in 1983 and more recent refurbishments took place in 2015 when the hotel became the Principal.

The plans stated: “The subtle and more sophisticated design of the new branding allows for an Art Deco flare to form part of the designs, which harks back to the 1930s heyday of the hotel, whilst also nodding to the original 1878 formation of the hotel.”