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		<div class="heading"> 
			<h1>LMS HOTELS
			</h1>
		</div>

		<div class="content">
			<table>
				<tr>
					<td><img title="Photo of Central Hotel Glasgow" alt="Photo of Central Hotel Glasgow"
		 				src="/assets/protophotos/central.jpg" /> 
				 	</td>
				 	<td>The ex-Caledonian Railway Central Hotel, Glasgow.
					</td>
				</tr>
			</table>
		</div>

		<div class="content"> 
			<p>The LMS took over 40 hotels spread throughout the system with a capital value of &pound;4 million, and became the owners
			   of the largest hotel business in Europe.
			</p>

			<p>The railway hotels were renowned for high standards of cuisine and elegant furnishings, and the majority enjoyed
			   unrivalled positions adjacent to stations, important for travellers in the years before the car was commonplace.
			</p>

			<p>The Euston Hotel had been the first railway-owned hotel in the world when opened in 1839 and it was still regarded
			   as a place of pompous grandeur in LMS ownership. The hotel chain was spread throughout the system and during the
			   period 1923-1939 four hotels were found to be redundant or obsolete and closed, whilst two new ones were opened
			   and a further three were completely rebuilt.
			</p>

			<p>Despite the closures and sales of properties, the capital employed in the hotels rose from &pound;4m in 1923 to over
			   &pound;5.lm by 1929, and further sums followed.
			</p>

			<p>Income was substantial, &pound;3.3m in 1923 and slightly less in 1938 &pound;3.08m and after overheads a useful profit was
			   returned - 1923 1571,000 1938 &pound;330,900. In relation to capital employed this represented an earnings ratio - 
			   1923 12.5% reducing to around 5-6% in 1938, yet still better than a straightforward investment income when
			   interest rates were low.
			</p>

			<p>In addition to the hotels in the LMS network, a further four were owned in Ireland, three through the N.C.C. and
			   one through the D &amp; N &amp; G Rly.
			</p>

			<p>Advertising panels listing the principal hotels appeared in public timetables, passenger compartments and on
			  station noticeboards.
			</p>

			<p>The name of the hotel often indicated earlier company ownership and in addition the telegraphic addresses bore
			   similar witness with the North Western's "Bestotel" and the Midlands "midotel" - yet all acclaimed "the best".
			   Up to 7,000 staff were employed in the Hotels Department, including those staffing Company Launderies,
			   refreshment rooms and kiosks.
			</p>

			<p>Allied to the hotels, the LMS owned three golf courses adjacent to Scottish hotels, and a holiday camp at
			   Prestalyn in partnership with Thos. Cook &amp; Sons.
			</p>

			<p>An interesting feature is that the Impressario Henry Hall was employed by the LMS in charge of dance orchestras.
			   Based at the famous Gleneagles Hotel he later left the Company to join the B.B.C.
			</p>

			<p>In 1939, 28 hotels were open and in common with many organisations the Government requisitioned part of the chain
			  for war service. Six hotels were completely taken over and in addition parts of others were similarly claimed,
			  until 14 hotels still plied for paying visitors. From 330,000 guests in 1938 the numbers rose during the war years
			  to 580,000 in 1943, a substantial increase. Even in the darkest days of war when many establishments suffered
			  considerable damage, none were completely closed down. Staff problems were inevitably to follow conscription of
			  the hotel men, and women in considerable numbers, and old employees returned to service to keep the hotels open.
			</p>

			<p>A Chief Hotels Superintendent had responsibility for the entire hotel, catering and laundry operation - in this
			   latter respect some 39 million "pieces" of laundry were washed in 1938.
			</p>

			<p>Silverware and china taken over in 1923 were gradually replaced by items with the LMS insignia but many pre-group
			   items survived into public ownership in 1948.
			</p>

			<p>After the war some attempts were made to raise standards in the hotels to their former prestigous levels but the
			   nationalisation era commenced when many food controls were still stringent and the final years of LMS ownership
			   were occupied in recovering from the effects of the war.
			</p>

			<table>
				<tr>
					<th colspan="4">LMS HOTELS - 31st December, 1929</th>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<th colspan="4">Owned and Worked by the Company.</th>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<th>Location</th><th>Hotel Name</th><th>Notes</th>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Birmingham, New St.</td><td>Queens Hotel</td><td>Heavy war damage</td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Bletchley</td><td>Station</td><td></td><td>Closed by 1935</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Bradford</td><td>Midland</td><td> War damaged</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Crewe</td><td>Crewe Arms</td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Derby</td><td>Midland</td><td>Very minor war damage</td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Furness Abbey</td><td>Furness Abbey</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Holyhead</td><td>Station</td><td></td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Keighley</td><td>Queens</td><td></td><td>Closed by 1935</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Leeds</td><td>Queens</td><td>Completely rebuilt</td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Liverpool, Lime St. Stn.</td><td>North Western</td><td></td><td>Closed by 1935</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Liverpool, Exchange Stn.</td><td>Exchange</td><td>Heavy war damage</td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Liverpool</td><td>Adelphi</td><td>Heavy war damage</td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>London, Euston Stn.</td><td>Euston</td><td>Heavy war damage - suffered direct hit</td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>London, St. Pancras</td><td>Midland Grand</td><td></td><td>Closed by 1935</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Manchester</td><td>Midland</td><td>Heavy war damage</td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Morecambe</td><td>Midland</td><td>Requisitioned in 1939</td><td></td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Preston</td><td>Park</td><td></td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<th colspan="4">Scotland</th>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Ayr</td><td>Station</td><td></td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Dornoch</td><td>Dornoch</td><td>Requisitioned in 1939</td><td></td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Dumfries</td><td>Station</td><td></td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Edinburgh, Princes St. Stn.</td><td>Caledonian</td><td></td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Glasgow, Central Stn.</td><td>Central</td><td>Part requisitioned</td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Glasgow, St. Enoch Stn.</td><td>St. Enoch</td><td>Part requisitioned</td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Gleneagles</td><td>Gleneagles</td><td>Requisitioned in 1939.<br/>International Reputation. Two magnificent Golf Courses. 9 Tennis Courts.</td><td></td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Inverness</td><td>Station</td><td></td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Kyle of Lochaish</td><td>Station</td><td>Part requisitioned in 1939.<br/>Modernised and a new wing added in 1934. Deep sea fishing.</td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Strathpeffer</td><td>Highland</td><td>Requisitioned in 1939</td><td></td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Turnberry, Ayrshire</td><td>Turnberry</td><td>Requisitioned in 1939.<br/>Two Golf Courses. Four Tennis Courts.</td><td></td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<th colspan="4">Hotels Owned but not Worked by the Company at 31st December, 1929</th>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Alderley Edge</td><td>Queens</td><td></td><td>Closed</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Leek</td><td>Churnet Valley</td><td></td><td>Closed</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Stoke-on-Trent</td><td>North Stafford</td><td>Later taken into LMS Management</td><td>Open in 1946</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<th>Jointly Owned and Operated</th>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Perth</td><td>Station</td><td>Two-thirds LMS owned</td><td></td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<th>Hotels Purchased After 1929</th>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Stratford-on-Avon</td><td>Welcombe</td><td>Requisitioned in 1939<br/>Listed as 'Once a stately residence standing in its own magnificent grounds'.</td><td></td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<th colspan="4">LMS Hotels in Ireland</th>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Belfast</td><td>Midland Station</td><td>War damaged</td><td>N.C.C.</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Larne</td><td>Laharna</td><td></td><td>N.C.C.</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Portrush</td><td>Northern Counties</td><td></td><td>N.C.C.</td>
				</tr>
				<tr>
					<td>Greenore</td><td>Greenore</td><td></td><td>D.N.	&amp; G. Rlwy.</td>
				</tr>
			</table>

			<h3>Further Reading</h3>
			<p>V.R. Anderson and G.K. Fox, A Pictorial Record of LMS Architecture. OPC 1981 ISBN 0 86093 083 1</p>
			<p>H.N. Twells, LMS Miscellany. OPC 1982 ISBN 0 860931 72 2</p>
			<p>H.N. Twells, LMS Miscellany Volume 3. OPC 1986 ISBN 0 86093 383 0</p>
		</div>

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