While in Cambridge yesterday, I couldn't help but admire the hard work that'd gone into the National Hotel on Lake Street. So much was my admiration that the new owner kindly showed me inside the building, which is currently undergoing renovation.
To start with, here is what the building looked like a year ago, a god-awful shade of red, a rusty roof, and boarded up windows - a dreadful state.
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge, 2009 |
Compare that to yesterday's exterior photos:
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge, 12 Feb 2011 |
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge, 12 Feb 2011 |
And a much older "before" picture:
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge |
The fact that this hotel is looking so good is something I'm really pleased about. The pub run from the hotel closed almost three years ago, and the building suffered from both a fire and at the hands of vandalism during it's restoration (and a change of hands - the original company restoring it is no longer with us, fortunately, the hotel is).
The hotel started it's life in the early 1910s after the previous National Hotel on the site sucummbed to fire on the 29th of November 1912. The 'new' National Hotel was designed by architect J Currie and built by Fred Potts.
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge |
The new building is not quite finished yet, but will be soon. It's due to take on it's new tennants in mid-to-late March. The owners have done a great job, having had replica cornices, ceiling panels and stained made to replace the missing and-or damaged originals. Excuse the builder's gear in the following photos.
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge - reinstated Stained Glass in main stairwell |
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge - stairwell detail |
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge - The only remaining pressed steel ceiling |
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge - Pressed steel cornice (original) |
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge - New plaster cornices |
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge - More stained glass |
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge - More stained glass |
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge - Mantlepiece |
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge - Original wallpaper (which will disappear inside a wall) |
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge - Original wallpaper (which will disappear inside a wall) |
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge - Exterior detail |
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge - Exterior detail |
 |
| The National Hotel, Cambridge - Exterior detail |
 |
| One more historic photo... |
Overall, I'm very impressed by the work that's gone in, and looking forward to seeing this building in use once again.
No comments:
Post a Comment