Francis Hotel | |
---|---|
Hotel chain | Sutton Hotel Collection |
General information | |
Location | Bath, Somerset, England |
Address | No.9, Queen Square |
Opening | 1858 |
Management | Sir Richard Sutton Ltd |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | John Wood, the Elder |
Developer | John Wood |
Other information | |
Number of rooms | 98 |
Number of restaurants | [Boho Marche] |
Website | |
FrancisHotel.com | |
Grade 1 listed building |
The Francis Hotel is a four star hotel located in a Grade 1 listed building on the south side of Queen Square, Bath, Somerset, England. It was part of Accor's MGallery luxury boutique hotel collection. On 1st April 2022, the Francis Hotel left the Accor chain.
The Francis Hotel occupies seven of the nine town houses built between 1728 and 1736, on the south side of Queen Square.
In the Georgian period, John Wood set out to restore Bath to what he believed was its former ancient glory as one of the most important and significant cities in England. In 1725 he developed an ambitious plan for his home town, which due to opposition he developed outside the existing city walls. [1] Wood created a distinctive image for the city, one that has greatly contributed to Bath’s continuing popularity. [2]
Queen Square is a key component of his vision, and was intended to appear like a palace with wings and a forecourt to be viewed from the south side. Named in honour of Queen Caroline, wife of George II, [3] located away from the crowded streets of medieval Bath, but only a short walk to the Abbey, Pump Room, Assembly Rooms and baths, although outside the city walls Queen Square quickly became a popular residence for Bath's Georgian society. [4]
Wood himself chose to live at No.9, on the south side with the best view of the structure imaginable, [1] until he died. No.9 is now the entrance to the Francis Hotel. [5]
The nine townhouses that make up the south side of Queen Square remained as individual dwellings until the late the nineteenth century.
In 1858, local builder Soloman Francis established a boarding house at No. 10 Queen Square. During the 1870s, his widow, Emily, started to buy up the adjacent properties and, by 1884 had expanded the business into Nos 6-9 and 11. In May 1884, the seven Georgian town houses were opened as the Francis Private Hotel. [6]
In April 1942 during World War II, 24 metres (79 ft) of the hotel frontage was lost when a 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) Nazi Luftwaffe high explosive bomb landed on the east side of the square during the Bath Blitz. Casualties were low considering the devastation, with the majority of the guests and staff having taken shelter in the hotel basement. [6]
J. Hopwood rebuilt the hotel in 1952-53, while The Beatles stayed in the hotel in 1963. [7]
Between 2010 and 2012 the Francis Hotel was refurbished by Accor Hotels. The corridors were split into different areas by cross-corridor doors, with these subdivisions roughly marking the boundaries of the different houses. The new interior decoration marks these diversions through the use of different wallpaper in heritage colours and patterns. Blue plaques explain who was in residence at specific dates. [8]
The Francis Hotel presently has 98 bedrooms of three different types: Classic, Superior and Feature. [8] The Francis is part of the Sutton Hotel Collection, launched in April 2022, with three hotels including The Queens Hotel, Cheltenham and The Castle Hotel, Windsor. [8]
In March 2023, a 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving after a car became wedged against the basement windows of the Francis Hotel. [9]
Bath is a city and unparished area in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, 97 miles (156 km) west of London and 11 miles (18 km) southeast of Bristol. The city became a World Heritage Site in 1987, and was later added to the transnational World Heritage Site known as the "Great Spa Towns of Europe" in 2021. Bath is also the largest city and settlement in Somerset.
George Square is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of six squares in the city centre, the others being Cathedral Square, St Andrew's Square, St Enoch Square, Royal Exchange Square, and Blythswood Square on Blythswood Hill.
The Circus is a historic ring of large townhouses in the city of Bath, Somerset, England, forming a circle with three entrances. Designed by architect John Wood, the Elder, it was built between 1754 and 1769, and is regarded as a pre-eminent example of Georgian architecture. “Circus” means a ring, oval or circle in Latin. The construction has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
The Royal Crescent is a row of 30 terraced houses laid out in a sweeping crescent in the city of Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood, the Younger, and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a Grade I listed building. Although some changes have been made to the various interiors over the years, the Georgian stone facade remains much as it was when first built.
The year 1970 in architecture involved some significant architectural events and new buildings.
Cardiff city centre is the city centre and central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bound by the River Taff to the west, the Civic Centre to the north and railway lines and two railway stations – Central and Queen Street – to the south and east respectively. Cardiff became a city in 1905.
Grosvenor Square is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of Westminster, Greater London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the duke's surname "Grosvenor". It was developed for fashionable residences in the 18th century. In the 20th it had an American and Canadian diplomatic presence, and currently is mixed use, commercial.
Lansdown Crescent is a well-known example of Georgian architecture in Bath, Somerset, England, designed by John Palmer and constructed by a variety of builders between 1789 and 1793. The buildings have a clear view over central Bath, being sited on Lansdown Hill near to, but higher than, other well-known Georgian buildings including the Royal Crescent, St James's Square, Bath and The Circus, Bath. It forms the central part of a string of curved terraces, including Lansdown Place East and West, and Someset Place, which were the northernmost boundary of the development of Georgian Bath.
Prior Park is a Neo-Palladian house that was designed by John Wood, the Elder, and built in the 1730s and 1740s for Ralph Allen on a hill overlooking Bath, Somerset, England. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
John Wood, the Elder was an English architect, working mainly in Bath.
The Bath Assembly Rooms, designed by John Wood the Younger in 1769, are a set of assembly rooms located in the heart of the World Heritage City of Bath in England which are now open to the public as a visitor attraction. They are designated as a Grade I listed building.
Queen Square is a square of Georgian houses in the city of Bath, England. Queen Square is the first element in "the most important architectural sequence in Bath", which includes the Circus and the Royal Crescent. All of the buildings which make up the square are Grade I listed.
Duke Street in Bath, Somerset, England was built in 1748 by John Wood, the Elder. Several of the buildings have been designated as Grade I listed buildings. The street, which overlooks the River Avon, is pedestrianised with no vehicles permitted to enter.
South Parade in Bath, Somerset, England, is a historic terrace built around 1743 by John Wood, the Elder. All of the houses have been designated as Grade I listed buildings.
The buildings and architecture of Bath, a city in Somerset in the south west of England, reveal significant examples of the architecture of England, from the Roman Baths, to the present day. The city became a World Heritage Site in 1987, largely because of its architectural history and the way in which the city landscape draws together public and private buildings and spaces. The many examples of Palladian architecture are purposefully integrated with the urban spaces to provide "picturesque aestheticism". In 2021, the city was added to a second World Heritage Site, a group of historic spa towns across Europe known as the "Great Spas of Europe". Bath is the only entire city in Britain to achieve World Heritage status, and is a popular tourist destination.
John Pinch (1796–1849) was an architect, working mainly in the city of Bath, England, and surveyor to the Pulteney and Darlington estate. He was the son of John Pinch the elder, also an architect and surveyor to the estate.
10 Trinity Square is a Grade II* listed building in London, United Kingdom, overlooking the River Thames at Tower Hill, in the southeastern corner of the City of London. Built in the Beaux Arts style, it is best known as the former headquarters of the Port of London Authority and is thus also sometimes referred to as the Port of London Authority Building.
The term Bath Blitz refers to the air raids by the German Luftwaffe on the British city of Bath, Somerset, during World War II.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Bath, Somerset, England.