The George Hotel
Huddersfield, UK
Sectors
People
A piece of local history
A building rich in local and cultural history
The George Hotel is a Grade II* Listed building with high historical value gained from its central role in the history of the town centre development in the 19th Century. The building is intrinsically linked to the arrival of the railway in Huddersfield and the Ramsden Estate’s development of the ‘New Town’ planned around it. The hotel is also renowned as the birthplace of rugby league in 1895.
The 60-bed hotel, which also sits within a conservation area, was opened in 1851 but closed its doors in January 2013 and was sadly left unoccupied and deteriorating with no maintenance works being carried out.
![Huddersfield 2 October 2023 047](https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/Huddersfield-2-October-2023-047.jpg?w=800&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1697625878&s=24a62b5b58bd0e75728822b46c68b2df 800w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/Huddersfield-2-October-2023-047.jpg?w=1100&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1697625878&s=31d2f07fb8207f135d1bf84c3504897b 1100w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/Huddersfield-2-October-2023-047.jpg?w=1300&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1697625878&s=c73a8f55871e0e98e5e3aafd88c2f91a 1300w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/Huddersfield-2-October-2023-047.jpg?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1697625878&s=32a1c443cd71fdf573ab5b9c2b44f2e9 1600w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/Huddersfield-2-October-2023-047.jpg?w=1920&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1697625878&s=33c8f38085a5b6cb066d60aa66b6f7de 1920w)
Project overview
The regeneration of a town
In March 2020 Kirklees Council purchased the historic building and have begun carrying out extensive refurbishment and restoration works to develop it into a Radisson RED Hotel with an increased and modernised capacity.
We were appointed to first phase of the project which involved carrying out vital structural and restoration repairs to the historic building.
The works form part of the ‘Huddersfield Blueprint’ which will see the significant regeneration of the town centre.
The scheme is a ten-year vision, which hopes to create a thriving, modern-day town centre, is focusing on six key areas: Station Gateway, St Peter’s, Kingsgate, New Street, Civic Quarter and a new cultural hub in the Queensgate and Piazza area. The George Hotel, due to its location, acts as a key cornerstone of this Blueprint vision.
Following the first phase of the George Hotel project, (which involved erecting scaffolding around the historic structure and performing temporary damp proofing works in order to protect the building from any further damage), we were appointed by Kirklees Council to lead Phase 2 which focused on the structural stabilisation of the historic building along with whole scale roof investigation rectifications and external façade repairs.
ESSENTIAL WORKS
Repairing the roof structure
The roof of the hotel was in a significant state of disrepair and required urgent attention to prevent any further damage. The project team replaced the timber and leadwork while preserving as much of the historical building fabric as possible.
![AHR-Hospitality-GeorgeHotel-BuildingConsultancy-Exterior10-Yorkshire](https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/1.2-After-Roof.jpg?w=800&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1684015607&s=c5cca9645e6c905d2acf0852e2213505 800w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/1.2-After-Roof.jpg?w=1100&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1684015607&s=7bfc32d0a2ca8490697e3192fdea0373 1100w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/1.2-After-Roof.jpg?w=1300&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1684015607&s=868003968f3116dc8f54e11f161436c5 1300w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/1.2-After-Roof.jpg?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1684015607&s=7008bb8dfb66aef35eeccb3a90853605 1600w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/1.2-After-Roof.jpg?w=1920&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1684015607&s=b43f04368ee043fadc6bc518d253a99f 1920w)
![AHR-Hospitality-GeorgeHotel-BuildingConsultancy-Exterior11-Yorkshire](https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/1.1-Before-Roof.jpg?w=800&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1684015607&s=cebbc6dbe00cd85b4f5e2d3cdac4cbac 800w)
MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM
A collaborative approach
Working closely with Historic England, Kirklees Conservation Group, Kirklees Council and the appointed conservation architects, Bowman Riley, the extensive structural refurbishment and repair works to the stonework, timberwork, roof, and windows form an essential basis for the remodelling and redesign plans for the new hotel.
Such works also ensure the life of the historic building is dramatically extended, future-proofing and preserving it for generations to come.
Upon initial investigation, it was found that the hotel was in a worse state of structural repair than previously envisaged. Due to the condition of the building and concerns about its safety, a significant consideration for this scheme was initiating the restoration works as quickly as possible.
Working closely with Kirklees Council, Historic England and the conservation architect, special provisions were made to secure conservation area planning consent within very short timescales.
Conservation and restoration
Sensitively repairing and restoring the building’s historical features
The redevelopment
The next phase of the transformation to a new hotel
Now the first phase of the scheme has been successfully completed, the final phase to complete the remodelling work and breath life back into the historic building as a hotel fit for the future will commence.
In line with their long-term decarbonisation plans, Kirklees Council are also keen to include sustainability features as part of the redevelopment work and are targeting a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating.
The new hotel will be operated by Radisson RED.
![Huddersfield 2 October 2023 050](https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/Huddersfield-2-October-2023-050_2023-10-18-112425_zfyu.jpg?w=800&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1697628265&s=1326bdd79dd58ca8301f5d6b0d4fd46f 800w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/Huddersfield-2-October-2023-050_2023-10-18-112425_zfyu.jpg?w=1100&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1697628265&s=b55497b7795217323e88a5f8ac4832ef 1100w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/Huddersfield-2-October-2023-050_2023-10-18-112425_zfyu.jpg?w=1300&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1697628265&s=b24a1ffe3e97b8103602fca54bf88e9c 1300w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/Huddersfield-2-October-2023-050_2023-10-18-112425_zfyu.jpg?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1697628265&s=78120b2294036278bb469cccc0926fb9 1600w, https://ahr-website.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/uploads/Projects/George-Hotel-Kirklees-Council/Huddersfield-2-October-2023-050_2023-10-18-112425_zfyu.jpg?w=1920&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1697628265&s=97a2a4433de2cf756a406bb754422062 1920w)
Team
Meet the team behind the project
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