Bradford Midland Hotel:The 19th century Yorkshire railway hotel that has had guests such as The Beatles, Laurel and Hardy and the Rolling Stones

In the second half of the 19th century Bradford reputedly had more millionaires per square mile than any other place on earth. As the textile boom created ever-increasing wealth, traders from far and wide flocked to the city to do business and many of them arrived at the Midland Railway station at the top of Market Street.
By Roger Ratcliffe
Published 10th Aug 2024, 00:00 BST

In 1885 work began on a 115-bedroom showpiece hotel in Cheapside, next to the station, and during the golden age of steam it was the most iconic railway hotel in the north of England. Its fine Victorian interior, which included ornate plasterwork and glittering chandeliers in the French Ballroom, was considered the equal of any in London.

The architect Charles Trubshaw was employed by the Midland Railway to design numerous other buildings for the company. These included stations at Keighley, Skipton, Bingley, Sheffield and Leicester as well as the Midland Hotel in Manchester, said to have been coveted by Hitler as the future headquarters of his Nazi-ruled Britain.

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In its heyday Bradford Midland Hotel accommodated many famous guests. On the evening of Friday the 13th of October 1905 the greatest actor of the day, Sir Henry Irving, appeared in Tennyson’s tragedy Becket at the Theatre Royal on Manningham Lane. During the performance he felt unwell but carried on to deliver the last line “Into they hands, Oh Lord, into thy hands...” After the final curtain he returned to the hotel but collapsed and died in the foyer.

Bradford Midland Hotel.Bradford Midland Hotel.
Bradford Midland Hotel.

The comedy due Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were guests in 1952 when they played Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre. The African/American singer and actor Paul Robeson was a guest when he appeared at the city’s St. George’s Hall in 1958. The Beatles stayed there when performing at the Gaumont Cinema in 1964 as did the Rolling Stones while playing the same venue in 1965.

Related topics:Yorkshire