Malmaison Hotel, Reading
| Malmaison Reading Hotel | |
|---|---|
|
Malmaison Hotel in 2007 | |
  Location within Reading Central | |
| Hotel chain | Malmaison |
| General information | |
| Location | Reading, Berkshire, UK |
| Address |
Great Western House 18-20 Station Road Reading RG1 1JX |
| Coordinates | 51°27′26.64″N 0°58′18.35″W / 51.4574000°N 0.9717639°WCoordinates: 51°27′26.64″N 0°58′18.35″W / 51.4574000°N 0.9717639°W |
| Opening | 1844[1] |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 75 |
| Number of suites | 6 |
| Number of restaurants | 1 |
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Malmaison Hotel Reading (formerly Great Western Hotel) is a grade II listed hotel in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated opposite Reading railway station across Forbury Road. It is thought to be the oldest surviving railway hotel in the world.[2][3]
According to English Heritage, the building is likely to have been designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who was GWR's Chief Engineer at the time of its construction and who incorporated similar features in the Royal Station Hotel at Slough (which was demolished in 1938).[4]
History
When the Great Western Main Line from London to Bristol was completed in 1841 a hotel was needed for people visiting the town.[2] The building was completed in 1844 and was used until a fire in the 1960s.[5] Subsequently the building was used as offices until it was renovated by the Malmaison hotel chain and in 2007 reopened as the Malmaison Hotel.
References
- ↑ Phillips, Daphne (1980). The Story of Reading. Countryside Books. p. 115. ISBN 0-905392-07-8.
- 1 2 "Building the Great Western Railway". Reading History Trail. Archived from the original on 16 October 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ↑ "Malmaison Reading, Reading, District of West Berkshire". Escapio. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
- ↑ "List Entry: Great Western House". English Heritage. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ↑ "The Essential Guide to the Malmaison Hotel Reading". Essential Hotels. Retrieved 5 May 2011.