Helmont House
Encyclopedia
Helmont House is a high-rise hotel and office tower in Cardiff
, Wales
. Completed in 1984, the 58 metres (190.3 ft) high building has 12 floors and is the tenth tallest building in Cardiff. The building was renovated in 2009 into a 200-room Premier Inn hotel.
The building was previously owned by British Gas
and was one of the largest office buildings in Cardiff, and is yards away from Cardiff Queen Street railway station
.
In 2009 the building’s occupier, British Gas
, relocated its Wales headquarters to a new 70000 sq ft (6,503.2 m²) office site at the nearby Callaghan Square, in the south of Cardiff city centre
. Helmont House was acquired by Rightacres at a value worth more than £10m, who also acquired Holland House
from Lloyds TSB
which was converted into a Mercure Hotel
.
The building was renovated in 2009 into a 200-room Premier Inn hotel on a 25 year lease after a wide range search by the company for a location in central Cardiff. In terms of beds, the hotel is the largest in the capital.
60000 sq ft (5,574.2 m²) of Helmont House remains dedicated to office space, 45000 sq ft (4,180.6 m²) of which is let to law firm NewLaw Legal Ltd T/A NewLaw Solicitors.
The building featured in episodes of Doctor Who
("Partners in Crime
") and Torchwood
in 2007. Both series are filmed and produced in Cardiff
art movement which was dominated by artists Pablo Picasso
and Georges Braque
.
on the premises.
Meeting rooms are available.
is within a short walk, as are the Cardiff Central Bus and Railway Stations
. The building is one of the closest hotels to the Cardiff International Arena
.
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Completed in 1984, the 58 metres (190.3 ft) high building has 12 floors and is the tenth tallest building in Cardiff. The building was renovated in 2009 into a 200-room Premier Inn hotel.
The building was previously owned by British Gas
Centrica
Centrica plc is a multinational utility company, based in the United Kingdom but also with interests in North America. Centrica is the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the UK, and one of the largest suppliers of electricity, operating under the trading names "Scottish Gas" in...
and was one of the largest office buildings in Cardiff, and is yards away from Cardiff Queen Street railway station
Cardiff Queen Street railway station
Cardiff Queen Street railway station is Wales' second busiest railway station in Cardiff, Wales. It is one of 20 stations in the city and two in the city centre, the other being Cardiff Central...
.
History
When British Gas was privatised in 1986, fewer than 600 people were employed in the Cardiff office. In 1998 the Cardiff regional headquarters became the National Sales Centre for Britain. Prior to relocation, 2,400 people were employed at Helmont House, two thirds of which were call centre staff, with a further 800 working in the field.In 2009 the building’s occupier, British Gas
Centrica
Centrica plc is a multinational utility company, based in the United Kingdom but also with interests in North America. Centrica is the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the UK, and one of the largest suppliers of electricity, operating under the trading names "Scottish Gas" in...
, relocated its Wales headquarters to a new 70000 sq ft (6,503.2 m²) office site at the nearby Callaghan Square, in the south of Cardiff city centre
Cardiff city centre
Cardiff city centre is the central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bounded 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...
. Helmont House was acquired by Rightacres at a value worth more than £10m, who also acquired Holland House
Holland House, Cardiff
Holland House, also known as Macdonald Holland House, is a high-rise hotel in Cardiff, Wales. The 60-metre high building has 15 floors and is the seventh tallest building in Cardiff.-History:...
from Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...
which was converted into a Mercure Hotel
Mercure Hotels
Mercure Hotels are a brand of hotels run by French multinational corporation Accor.Most Mercure hotels are positioned between Ibis and Novotel in the Accor estate. There is also a five star branch of Mercures known as Grand Mercures...
.
The building was renovated in 2009 into a 200-room Premier Inn hotel on a 25 year lease after a wide range search by the company for a location in central Cardiff. In terms of beds, the hotel is the largest in the capital.
60000 sq ft (5,574.2 m²) of Helmont House remains dedicated to office space, 45000 sq ft (4,180.6 m²) of which is let to law firm NewLaw Legal Ltd T/A NewLaw Solicitors.
The building featured in episodes of Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
("Partners in Crime
Partners in Crime (Doctor Who)
"Partners in Crime" is the first episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 5 April 2008. The episode reintroduced comedienne Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, who previously appeared in "The Runaway Bride"...
") and Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
in 2007. Both series are filmed and produced in Cardiff
Architecture
The angular look of Helmont House was inspired by the CubismCubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
art movement which was dominated by artists Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
and Georges Braque
Georges Braque
Georges Braque[p] was a major 20th century French painter and sculptor who, along with Pablo Picasso, developed the art style known as Cubism.-Early Life:...
.
Hotel facilities
Following the complete refurbishment of the building, the hotel has air conditioned guest rooms with en-suite bathrooms. WiFi Internet access is available. The restaurant serves traditional and contemporary dishes and there is a branch of Costa CoffeeCosta Coffee
Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse company founded in 1971 by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. Since 1995 it has been a subsidiary of Whitbread, since when the company has grown to over...
on the premises.
Meeting rooms are available.
Location
Helmont House is in close proximity to the main shopping areas including Queen Street and St David's. Cardiff Queen Street railway stationCardiff Queen Street railway station
Cardiff Queen Street railway station is Wales' second busiest railway station in Cardiff, Wales. It is one of 20 stations in the city and two in the city centre, the other being Cardiff Central...
is within a short walk, as are the Cardiff Central Bus and Railway Stations
Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
. The building is one of the closest hotels to the Cardiff International Arena
Cardiff International Arena
The Cardiff International Arena was opened on 10 September 1993, by Shirley Bassey, in front of 5,500 fans. On 1 March 2011, the Cardiff International Arena was officially renamed Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, after the car sales company with a branch in Newport bought the naming rights to the Cardiff...
.