Deposited Plan No. 686

Victoria Lane: The Albert Hotel (Rebuilding)

Details

Deposited Plan Number:686
Date:1879
Plans Register:1869 - 1886
Street:Victoria Lane
Property Name / Number:The Albert Hotel
Area:Town Centre
District:Kirklees
Town:Huddersfield
Grid Reference:SE 1451 1648
Building Project:The Albert Hotel (Rebuilding)
Type:Hotel / Licensed Premises
Applicant:Armitage Bros.
Applicant Address:no data
Architect:Edward Hughes
Architect Address:Lord Street, Huddersfield (1871 - 1884)
Status of Project:
Approved
Contractor:no data
Contractor Address:no data
Work Commenced:14 September 1878 (plans approved)
Work Completed:1879 (opened)
Occupants:Armitage Brothers
Subsequent Alterations / History:Existing
English Heritage Listing:no data
Location of Archives:Kirklees West Yorkshire Archives
Buildings of Huddersfield ID:4035

Additional Information

The work of Edward Hughes, who was in practice in Huddersfield between 1871 and 1884, Construction date: 1879 at a cost of £3000. Initially owned by the Armitage brothers. It replaced an earlier Albert Hotel opened in 1853 which became a warehouse. Adjacent listed buildings are the Town Hall, Library and Art Gallery and the Market Hall (the latter two recently listed).

The hotel is a 4-storey building on a corner site with a narrow main elevation to Victoria Lane and a longer elevation to Albert Yard. To quote 'The Buildings Of Huddersfield' by Keith Gibson and Albert Booth (Tempus, 2005):

The Albert Hotel is an apparently plain and simple building on a narrow corner plot with mullioned and transomed windows, but it achieves that simplicity through a highly complex piece of design on the upper floors above the corner doorway of the building and by a markedly asymmetric detailed design. It is very difficult to describe the multiple planes of the multifaceted stonework above the corner door where two deeply inset panels create the illusion of a bay window to the canted stonework and windows between. Above this, at eaves level, is a cornice on stone brackets that continues under a dormer window on the Victoria Lane frontage, bur stops short of the larger gable around the corner. The corner of the building is again emphasised by an open stone balustrade parapet detail only above the corner. That includes a substantial and ornate corbelled bracket at the right hand side, but no similar detail on the left.

That asymmetry is further emphasised by a winged figure holding a shield sitting on top of the parapet above the corbelled bracket - presumably not Albert.

The interior has wood and stained glass partitions and a large marble-topped semi-circular mahogany and etched glass panelled bar which dominates the split-level bar.

The hotel has always played a rich part in the political, social, cultural and sporting life of the town. The Huddersfield Town football club was founded there on 26 June 1908 and in 1920 it was the HQ of the Retention Committee which successfully fought off a move to transfer the club to Leeds.

There have been some notable licensees. William Hardcastle who was licensee in 1908 was instrumental in the establishment of Huddersfield Town football club and later became its chairman. He was also a town councillor. In 1931 Thomas Moran began a family association with the Albert which lasted 54 years and was its longest serving licensee. He had been awarded the MC in the First World War and was a town councillor for many years. When he died in 1956 he was succeeded by his widow Mary who in turn was succeeded in 1962 by her son John who retired in 1985. He was a magistrate, an unusual appointment for a licensee and one which reflected his high standing in the town.

(Extract from http://www.huddersfieldcivicsociety.org.uk/projects.html)

Also see record for plan No 673 (15 August 1878)

Original plans for rebuilding the Albert Hotel were disapproved by the Borough Surveyor's department.

The second application, plan No 686 (14 September 1878) was approved.

Approximate Location

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The red marker indicates the approximate location of this record. Green and yellow dots are locations of other geotagged records, where yellow means the building was subsequently demolished.

What's Nearby?

The following records are located within 100 meters:
RecordDistance (feet & meters)
Albert Yard, off New New Street: Alteration of present Albert Hotel into shop etc. (1880) - plan# 81343ft13m
Albert Yard: Conversion of late Albert Hotel into Building Offices (1880) - plan# 83243ft13m
Victoria Lane: Rebuilding the Albert Hotel (1878) - plan# 67346ft14m
Princess Alexandra Walk (formerly Ramsden Street): New Library (1940)101ft31m
Victoria Lane: 2 Kitchens, Ice House, Cart Shed and 3 W.Cs (1891) - plan# 2133103ft32m
Albert Yard: Alteration of Coal Places (1880) - plan# 792107ft32m
Victoria Lane & Albert Yard: Shops, Offices etc. (1878) - plan# 671107ft32m
Victoria Street: Alterations to Brunswick Arms (1882) - plan# 1079118ft36m
Ramsden Street: Two Privies in Yard of Club (1878) - plan# 699118ft36m
Ramsden Street: Shop and Billiard Room Etc. (1877) - plan# 614118ft36m
Ramsden Street: Billiard Room, Cloak Room and Lavatory (1877) - plan# 603118ft36m
Victoria Lane: Conversion of Warehouse into Six Shops (1892) - plan# 2269135ft41m
Victoria Street: Alterations to Bull and Mouth Hotel (1882) - plan# 1122146ft45m
Victoria Lane: No 18 - 28148ft45m
Ramsden Street: Business Premises / Shop (Stone) (1895) - plan# 2424176ft54m
Ramsden Street: Addition of Verandah to Premises (Cast iron and Glass) (1897) - plan# 2545176ft54m
Victoria Lane: Allterations to Smoking Room (1891) - plan# 2116176ft54m
Ramsden Street: Additions to the Theatre Royal (outhouses and urinals) (1878) - plan# 694191ft58m
New Street: No 61202ft62m
Victoria Street: Additions to Warehouse (3 Shops) (1883) - plan# 1178207ft63m
Ramsden Street: Addition of Dressing Rooms to the Theater Royal (1888) - plan# 1777219ft67m
Ramsden Street: Altered roof plan of Theatre Royal (1881) - plan# 932219ft67m
New Street: Alterations to Music Shop (1900) - plan# 964229ft70m
Ramsden Street: Temporary Shop (1871) - plan# 192231ft71m
New Street: New Shop Fronts and Alterations to Conviniences (1899) - plan# 626231ft71m
New Street / Ramsden Street: Prudential Assurance Offices (brick and tera-cota) (1899) - plan# 476232ft71m
Ramsden Street: New Bar, W.Cs and 4 New Boxes to Theatre Royal (1895) - plan# 2419236ft72m
Ramsden Street: Addition of Wine Celler to Theatre Royal (1896) - plan# 2451236ft72m
Ramsden Street: Theatre Royal (rebuild after fire) (1880) - plan# 826236ft72m
Ramsden Street: Alterations to Theatre Royal (inc. Stair cases, W.C.s and Windows) (1900) - plan# 916236ft72m
Ramsden Street: Addition of Two New Staircases (1889) - plan# 1988236ft72m
Ramsden Street: Heating Apparatus Shed to Theatre Royal (1896) - plan# 2510236ft72m
New Street: New Shop Fronts (Plate Glass and Mahogany) (1900) - plan# 809249ft76m
Ramsden Street: Addition of Stained Glass and iron Veranda to the Theater Royal (1888) - plan# 1839249ft76m
New Street: Alteration at Imperial Hotel (1886) - plan# 1558250ft76m
New Street: Conversion of Part of the Imperial Hotel into Shop (1909) - plan# 6064250ft76m
Imperial Hotel Yard, Victoria Lane: Conversion of Coach House into a Cottage (1879) - plan# 736253ft77m
Greenwood's Yard, off Victoria Lane: 2 New Shops (1924) - plan# 14448257ft78m
Greenwood's Yard, off Victoria Lane: Conversion of Warehouse into Shop Premises (1924) - plan# 14210257ft78m
Greenwood's Yard, off Victoria Lane: Three Lockup Shops (1924) - plan# 14207257ft78m
Ramsden Street: Photographic Studio (wood and glass construction) (1875) - plan# 480264ft81m
Back Ramsden Street: New Waiting Room to Vets Surgery (1896) - plan# 2503264ft81m
Victoria Lane: No 14274ft83m
Queens Street & Ramsden Street: New Baths (1879) - plan# 703293ft89m
Lockwood's Yard, off Victoria Lane: Office and Shop (1880) - plan# 800310ft95m
Lockwood's Yard, off Victoria Lane: New Shed (1881) - plan# 924310ft95m
Lockwood's Yard, off Victoria Lane: New Shop (Tobaconist) (1880) - plan# 844310ft95m
Queen Street: Shop and Offices (1878) - plan# 644310ft95m
corner of Queen Street & Cross Queen Street: Wooden Shed (1881) - plan# 1034310ft95m
New Street: No 58A313ft95m
New Street: No 56313ft95m
New Street: Commercial Hotel314ft96m
New Street: No 29 - 35322ft98m
Queen Street & Victoria Lane: Alterations and Additions to warehouse (1882) - plan# 1038322ft98m
Queen Street / Victoria Street: Warehouse (1875) - plan# 439327ft100m
Victoria Lane & King Street: Five Shops and Offices (1878) - plan# 637328ft100m