Beresford Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Beresford, formerly a hotel
in Sauchiehall Street
, Glasgow
, Scotland
, is a mixed-use building combining privately owned and serviced apartments operated by The B Suites. It opened in 1938 to provide accommodation for those attending the city's Empire Exhibition
and was often described as Glasgow's first skyscraper
, being the tallest building erected in Glasgow between the two world wars, at 10 storeys high. It is one of the city's most notable examples of Art Deco
/Streamline Moderne
architecture, and is protected as a category B listed building.
The architect, William Beresford Inglis
, of Weddell & Inglis, was also the hotel's owner and managing director. The hotel became a favourite rendezvous for American servicemen during the Second World War.
Demand for hotel accommodation declined after the war and the building was bought by Imperial Chemical Industries
and became an office block, most notably being used as the Scottish headquarters of ICI
from 1952. The University of Strathclyde
acquired it for student accommodation in 1964, renaming it Baird Hall. It was sold in 2003 and work began on its re-conversion into private apartments. Due to its listed building status, the planning process involved continuous discussion and negotiation with both the Planning and Heritage & Design Departments of Glasgow City Council, and Historic Scotland
, mainly relating to a proposed rooftop extension.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
in Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street is one of the main shopping/business streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, it forms the main shopping area of Glasgow, containing the majority of Glasgow's high street and chain stores.Although commonly associated with the...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, is a mixed-use building combining privately owned and serviced apartments operated by The B Suites. It opened in 1938 to provide accommodation for those attending the city's Empire Exhibition
Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938
Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938 was an international exposition held at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, from May to December 1938....
and was often described as Glasgow's first skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
, being the tallest building erected in Glasgow between the two world wars, at 10 storeys high. It is one of the city's most notable examples of Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
/Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
architecture, and is protected as a category B listed building.
The architect, William Beresford Inglis
William Beresford Inglis
William Beresford Inglis was a Scottish architect. He came from a large family with 6 siblings. His office was in Blythswood Square in Glasgow near his most important work, the Beresford Hotel on Sauchiehall Street...
, of Weddell & Inglis, was also the hotel's owner and managing director. The hotel became a favourite rendezvous for American servicemen during the Second World War.
Demand for hotel accommodation declined after the war and the building was bought by Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
and became an office block, most notably being used as the Scottish headquarters of ICI
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
from 1952. The University of Strathclyde
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
acquired it for student accommodation in 1964, renaming it Baird Hall. It was sold in 2003 and work began on its re-conversion into private apartments. Due to its listed building status, the planning process involved continuous discussion and negotiation with both the Planning and Heritage & Design Departments of Glasgow City Council, and Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...
, mainly relating to a proposed rooftop extension.