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Lowther Hotel, Goole, East Yorkshire |
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The Julie Howard Partnership has reinforced its commitment to breathing life back into some of Goole’s most historic buildings by announcing plans to restore the town’s oldest hotel to its former glory. The York-based property development firm specialises in the restoration of historic buildings and has already brought a number of derelict properties in Goole back into use, having invested in the region of £4 million in the town during the last six years. Its latest project will see The Lowther Hotel on Aire Street, which had been run as a public house for a number of years, transformed into a smart 14-bedroom wedding and conference venue, complete with a rear courtyard area. The building came to the attention of the Julie Howard Partnership earlier this year when they were working on nearby buildings, also on Aire Street, that once housed import and export companies operating out of the nearby docks. The attractive four-storey block has been restored to its original Victorian-stylesplendour and now offers high quality residential, office and retail accommodation for the rental market. Work on site was only completed during the last four weeks, but, already, all but one of the five shop premises have been let; five of the seven apartments have been let; and there is a great deal of interest in the office suites aimed at small businesses. Howard Duckworth, partner, explained: “Up until a few years ago The Lowther Hotel was one of Goole’s best known venues but it has not been in use for some time and is in dire need of sensitive restoration after years of neglect. “We have been investing in Goole for a number of years now because we know that we have made, and can continue to make, a real difference here. The town has a really rich history and some beautiful buildings, and we want to be part of its renaissance. We strongly believe that if you can leave some sort of legacy that will benefit local communities, then that’s what life is all about.” The restoration project has already led to the discovery of more a stunning maritime mural, which is thought to date back to when The Lowther Hotel, or the Banks Arms as it was originally known, was first built in 1824. Julie Duckworth, also a partner, explained: “When we first went in to The Lowther Hotel to assess the extent of the restoration project, the building, which has been suffering from severe damp, began to dry out and this caused layers of artex to peel from the walls and ceilings revealing the original Regency plasterwork, mouldings and cornices; it was as if it was shedding its skin to reveal the hidden treasures beneath. We now intend to take steps to carefully restore and preserve the hotel, and will make sure that it’s treasures are definitely not covered up again. She added: “The Lowther Hotel is a building where people used to come to enjoy themselves and that was once full of laughter, and we want to make it that kind of place again. One of the nice things about working in Goole is the level of interest from the local community. When people see us working on a building, they call in to see what’s happening and share their memories with us. It is one of the joys of working on a project like this and a great source in information that helps us to piece together the history of the buildings that we work on.” Visit our Lowther Hotel picture gallery at www.lowtherhotel.co.uk to view the progerss of this exciting restoration project. |
