Couple restore historic hotel to former glory
AN HISTORIC East Yorkshire hotel fit for the 21st century is set to be unveiled following a two-year restoration project and investment of more than £1m.
Goole’s Lowther Hotel will include a restaurant and meeting, conference and wedding facilities.
A second phase of work to prepare a number of bedrooms will be completed during the coming months.
As the first building to be erected in Goole in 1824, The Lowther Hotel (or The Banks Arms as it was originally known) was the town’s principal municipal building for much of the 19th century and the operational base for the Aire & Calder Navigation Company into the 20th century.
In recent years, it had fallen into decline and was virtually derelict when it was bought by York-based property developers The Julie Howard Partnership in 2008.
Husband-and-wife team Julie and Howard Duckworth embarked on a restoration project in a bid to bring the neglected building back into use, and ensure that its historical and architectural significance was recognised.
Since the project began, English Heritage has upped the building’s status from grade two-listed to grade two-star listed.
Mrs Duckworth said: “When we first viewed The Lowther Hotel, we were able to look beyond the dreadful artex and decor, not to mention the damp and dry rot that had resulted from years of neglect, and see the true potential of this amazing building.
“The more time we spent here and the further we got into the project, the more we fell in love with the place and uncovered its secrets, such as the murals upstairs, which had been boarded up for decades.”
Mr and Mrs Howard hired Hirst Conservation, a Lincolnshire firm specialising in the restoration of wall paintings and limestone sculpture, to strip away the layers of artex and wallpaper that covered large sections of the murals so that the paintings could be cleaned and restored.
The couple’s passion for local history has also prompted them to incorporate a series of ornate friezes rescued from the the demolition of The New Bridge Inn in Old Goole into the decor of the lounge area.
Mr Duckworth added: “This project has been a real labour of love for us and, given the difficult economic climate over the past couple of years, there were times when we wondered if we’d ever see our plans and hard work come to fruition.
“To see the building back in use and look the the way it does today is a dream come true for us.
“We’re also very excited about the second phase of the project, which will involve finishing off the bedrooms upstairs so that we can offer overnight accommodation and putting the finishing touches to the courtyard area at the rear of the building.”
Julie and Howard now intend to run The Lowther Hotel as a family business alongside their sons, David and Rik. David is head chef, and Rik is operation and events manager.
