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New life will be breathed back into the derelict Lowther Hotel in Goole as the new owners transform it into a wedding and conference centre.
After weeks of deliberating what to do with Goole's oldest public building, York-based development firm The Julie Howard Partnership aims to restore the Aire Street venue back to its former glory by turning it into a smart 14-bedroom wedding and conference venue, complete with a rear courtyard.
The historic hotel will now be an ideal place in the town to hold weddings, naming ceremonies and civil ceremonies, along with corporate and business meetings.
Julie Duckworth, partner, explained: "This is the first time we have bought a building without knowing what to do with it but it was in such desperate need of repair.
"We understand there is a shortage of venues like this in the area to hold such events and it would be a beautiful place to get married in as it has the most elegant rooms. I can just imagine walking down the staircase in an evening gown."
Howard Duckworth, also a partner, added: "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."
Whilst working on the restoration project workers have uncovered more of the hotel's stunning dockland murals which date back to when The Lowther Hotel, or the Banks Arms as it was originally known, was built in 1824. Some of the murals, which show images of the docks, were covered with coats of artex in recent years and now work is being done to restore them, as the partnership believes they are an important part of the town's heritage.
"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 its treasures are definitely not covered up again.
"The Lowther Hotel is a building where people used to come to enjoy themselves and it was once full of laughter. We want to make it that kind of place again," said Julie.
The hotel is the latest local project to be taken on by the husband-and-wife team, who specialise in the restoration of historic buildings. The partnership has already worked on several Goole buildings and has brought a number of derelict buildings back into use, investing around £4 million in the town over the last six years.
Most recently the firm has worked on an attractive four-storey building, also in Aire Street, restoring it back to its original Victorian-style splendour and turning it into high-quality residential, office and retail accommodation for the rental market.
"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," added Mr Duckworth.
The Julie Howard Partnership prides itself on sensitively and sympathetically restoring the historic buildings using a team of highly-skilled employees and and experienced, Yorkshire-based contractors.
Other projects carried out in the Goole area by the partnership include the restoration of the former Station Hotel into 12 two-bedroom apartments and seven shops, and the former railway goods offices on Stanhope Street, for which they won awards after they restored it into a restaurant and bar, along with 14 apartments. They have also worked on various shops and offices on the pedestrian precinct in the town.
Of the work they have carried out in Goole, Mrs Duckworth added: "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."
For more information about the Julie Howard Partnership, log on to www.juliehoward partnership.co.uk
Published on 14th August 2008 in News.
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