Peterborough – Great Northern Hotel

The Great Northern hotel, located opposite the railway station, was constructed shortly after the station was finished in 1850 and was owned by the rail company from which it takes its name. It’s an impressive building and was one of five hotels which the company owned.

There is apparently a bar inside the hotel called Sleepers (which CAMRA note relates to the station and not to the sleeping clientele), but I was unsure of the opening hours and assumed that it was closed at lunchtime. I did look to try and work out what was going on, but the only signage that I could see was for the coffee shop Circa 1852 which did seem to be open, but I’ve had enough of coffee shops for today….

I liked the history that was posted by the entrance to the hotel, noting that the Prussian Crown Prince stayed there in 1863. It was run by British Transport Hotels until it was sold off in 1982 and has since been heavily modernised. I also read that the comedian Ernie Wise was married at the hotel, and I hadn’t previously realised that he was a resident of the city.

And an advert published in the press in July 1852 when the hotel opened……