Two-hundred-year-old hotel is crowned Britain’s oldest
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A 200-year-old hotel has claimed the prestigious accolade of becoming Britain’s oldest hotel by default - after its predecessor burnt down.
Tourism bosses VisitEngland have handed the crown to a dock worker’s refuge which dates back to 1824 after a fire destroyed the Royal Clarence Hotel in Exeter.
The Lowther Hotel in Goole, East Yorks, was given the title after it was built two centuries ago to house architects and engineers who designed local waterways.
Pub owners Howard and Julie Duckworth were delighted by putting the Aire Street hotel on the map.
Howard, 60, of York, said: “It’s fantastic for us - and fantastic for the town of Goole.
(Photo: SWNS)
(Photo: SWNS)
(Photo: SWNS)
“Who would ever have thought that a small town in the East Riding of Yorkshire could be home to the oldest hotel in England?”
The hotel was created and designed by Sir Edward Banks - famous for building bridges over the River Thames in London.
Speaking about the hotel’s history, Howard said: “It was originally built to be the home of visiting architects and engineers who were working on the docks - which are just across the road.
“The hotel has exactly the same footprint as it had when it was built - so if your great-great-grandmother or father came to see if today they would still recognise it.”
(Photo: SWNS)
Tourism body VisitEngland confirmed the title had changed hands following the fire at the Royal Clarence Hotel in October of this year.
A spokesperson for VisitEngland said: “The Lowther Hotel has the honour of being the oldest hotel in England, having being built in 1824 during the Georgian period.
“It is one of three buildings in the Goole Conservation Area that have been restored by the hotel’s owners and has just been awarded the ‘Best Rescue of a heritage Site’ in the historic England Angel Awards 2016.”
Howard Duckworth had also attempted to change the name of Goole in 2013 to Goole-upon-Ouse because it “sounded nicer” - but the petition was unsuccessful.