The Chester Grosvenor Hotel is a hotel in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, England. The Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

was built between 1863 and 1865 and is owned by the

Duke of Westminster Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ...

. The long-standing establishment features an on-site restaurant that was previously awarded a

Michelin star The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic ...

since 1990, however the restaurant failed to retain its Michelin Star in 2022's Michelin Guide following an extended period of closure due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. The restaurant has since reopened, and is in the process of being assessed for the absent Michelin Star. The hotel is now operated by Bespoke Hotels.

Location

The Chester Grosvenor occupies a historic location on Eastgate, in the centre of Chester. It is next to the landmark Eastgate Clock and in close proximity to other notable features of the city, including Grosvenor Park, The Mall Chester,

Chester Cathedral Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint ...

, and the ancient

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...

History

Before the present building was constructed in 1863–66, the site was occupied first by the pub ''The Golden Talbot'' and later by ''The Royal Hotel''. ''The Golden Talbot'' was recorded as being "ancient" in its 1751 mention in one of the local weekly newspapers and had been in operation during the reign of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

. In 1784, the pub was demolished to make way for ''The Royal Hotel'', built by the politician John Crewe. It became the headquarters of the Independent Party, who were the party opposed to the Grosvenor family (later to become the

Dukes of Westminster Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

). In 1815 it was purchased by Robert Grosvenor, who was at that time Earl Grosvenor (and who later became the 1st Marquess of Westminster). It was then renamed the ''Grosvenor Hotel'', and it became the city's "premier place to stay". While it was in possession of the 1st Marquess' son,

Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster (27 January 1795 – 31 October 1869), styled The Honourable Richard Grosvenor from 1795 to 1802, Viscount Belgrave from 1802 to 1831 and Earl Grosvenor from 1831 to 1845, was an English polit ...

in 1863, this building was demolished. The building now present on the site was originally called the ''Grosvenor Hotel''. It was designed by the Chester architect

Thomas Mainwaring Penson Thomas Mainwaring Penson (1818–1864) was an English surveyor and architect. His father and grandfather, who were both named Thomas Penson, were also surveyors and architects. His grandfather Thomas Penson (c. 1760–1824) worked from an of ...

and was Penson's last major work. It was completed after his death by his elder brother's firm R. K. Penson & A. Ritchie. The hotel passed into the estate of the Duke of Westminster when Richard's son, Hugh Grosvenor, was advanced to 1st Duke of Westminster in 1874. On 10 January 1972, the building was designated as a Grade II listed building.

Hotel and restaurant

The upper façade of the building is distinctive

half-timbered Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...

black-and-white, in the

Tudor revival Tudor Revival architecture, also known as mock Tudor in the UK, first manifested in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture, in rea ...

style that is typical of Chester architecture. As a hotel, it is recognised as offering five-star, luxury accommodation and service. The hotel has 68 guest bedrooms and 12 suites, a fitness centre, a spa, a lounge and bar, boardrooms, a Parisian style family restaurant ''La Brasserie'' and a highly acclaimed restaurant, ''Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor''. Formerly known as ''The Arkle'', the name of the restaurant changed in 2008 to reflect the success and expertise of its head chef, Simon Radley, who first joined the hotel in 1986. In 2013, the restaurant was awarded its 24th consecutive Michelin star. One of only four restaurants in the UK to have retained a star for that length of time, it is also the only restaurant in the north of England to have done so. Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor, formerly known as The Arkle, until 2022, it had previously retained its

for 30 consecutive years. Notable guests include

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...

and several

Princes of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Gwynedd who, from the late 12th century, used it (albeit inconsistent ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

visited the hotel when it hosted wedding festivities for a daughter of the Grosvenor family.

References

External links

Official website of The Chester Grosvenor Hotel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chester Grosvenor Hotel Buildings and structures in Chester Grade II listed hotels Hotels in Cheshire Grade II listed buildings in Chester Michelin-starred restaurants in the United Kingdom Restaurants in Cheshire

Location

History

Hotel and restaurant

See also

References

External links