Coombe Barton Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 See http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9407000/9407385.stm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grovenor Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Here if you want to book Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 The staircase, whilst incredible, does remind me of an opulent Turkish Boudoir of ill repute. I'm trying to be polite here! Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 27, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 27, 2011 The staircase, whilst incredible, does remind me of an opulent Turkish Boudoir of ill repute. I'm trying to be polite here! Best, Pete. That interior is not a long way removed from a certain establishment in Whitehall where they had an expenses scandal. Maybe that's what it reminds you of! :lol: Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 That too................................ Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 The staircase, whilst incredible, does remind me of an opulent Turkish Boudoir of ill repute. Personal experience??? :) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted February 27, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 27, 2011 I think I have or had a VHS clip of John Betjeman standing on that staircase explaining the history of the hotel. Deb used to walk up and down it every day - she was one of the very last people to have an office there, which I think she quit in 1986 to move to Paddington. When we got our initial 4 kittens in 1983, they came from St Albans by train with one of Deb's colleagues, and I collected them, brought them down those stairs and calmly placed them in our MG Metro, casually parked in the forecourt. Try doing that now! Great to see it put to proper use again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 "Special opening offers" rates from: £187-£263. Hmm, must keep that in mind if ever I need to catch an early Eurostar... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brake Compo Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Thanks for this - I was involved in the station refurbishment in the very early '80s. The site offices were on the 5th floor, which were the former hotel staff quarters - it was a bit like the Marie Celeste up there, much of it was left as the hotel staff abandoned it (1936?), including every few rooms an abandoned very dirty bathroom - the Resident Engineer's and contractor's staff just camped up there in the odd room. Going up into the roof structure was to see a building built like a medieval cathederal, even the bits that nobody would ever see are built so beautifully. Wandering around the part-abandoned offices on the lower floors was amazing - seeing rooms with wonderfully elaborate plaster ceilings chopped in two by brutal BR partitions was quite sad... Somewhere I have a set of photos that I was given by an old timer when he retired showing the hotel in use as a CCE drawing office in the late 1930s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 They say that the hotel was subjected to some awful "official vandalism" in the BR days, particularly in the 1970's and 80's. Thankfully, despite the shortcomings of the original design, abandonment in the 1930's and the wilful damage accrued under BR occupation, this grand old lady has at last been saved to live again. Lots of links on t 'net to read a bit of history and get a glimpse of the restoration and final outcome. Here are a few..... Urban75 potted history Urban75 Photo index - lots of photos taken before the restoration began. Building.co.uk magazine article 1 - Highly recommended. Recent photos. Building.co.uk magazine article 2 - Second article. You will need to register (free) to read more than one article, or remove the cookie sent with the first one. Article in the Grauniad. Marriot St. Pancras Hotel website. Marriot photo gallery. - Some interesting views of the hotel interior. Click on the first photo and you can move through the gallery from there. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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