THE Palace Hotel has teamed up with well-known writer and guide Jonathan Schofield to host a series of specialist tours, uncovering some of the incredible history behind this iconic building.
As official hotel partner of the 2016 Manchester Food and Drink Awards, it is hosting this year’s Gala Dinner and Awards – the perfect showcase for its new culinary regime centred around The Refuge Public Bar & Dining Room by Volta gastro complex below), which launches on September 14 as part of the Palace’s multi-million pound overhaul.
The refurbishment has enhanced the former offices of the Refuge Assurance, one of Great Britain’s grandest commercial buildings, as you will discover on the Schofield tours taking you unto it uttermost recesses.
Constructed in stages between 1891 and 1932, the building has now been fully renovated, including all 271 bedrooms and suites; the Ballroom and 16 other private dining and event spaces. The painstaking renovation has also restored a feast of original details in glorious terracotta, faience, marble and glazed brick.
Jonathan Schofield (above) is the city’s best-known tour guide. Journalist, author and Blue Badge Tour Guide, Jonathan’s knowledge of Manchester – its buildings, secrets, stories and its part in the wider world – is unparalleled.
As author of ‘Manchester: Lost and Imagined’, ‘The Manchester Guide Book’ and now ‘Manchester: Illusion & Change’, his fascinating and entertaining tours of the city and its most interesting buildings are the most popular in the region.
Now, Jonathan has turned his attention to The Palace Hotel and will be leading specialist tours of this fascinating building – unlocking its secrets and explaining its huge role in the city’s heritage.
The tours will allow visitors to take an exclusive peek at this fabulously restored building. In the week before the official re-opening, four tours will offer access to all the most important spaces, including the boardroom, the directors’ staircase with their superb stained glass, the former banking hall and the vaults under the building.
Along with the story of the building, there will be plenty of stories of the people who have worked in this monumental construction. Entertainment, information and humour are guaranteed. To cap it all, guests on the tour will be able to enjoy a refreshing iced tea in the former boardroom.
Tell Jonathan Your Secrets of the Palace
Both the hotel and Jonathan are keen to uncover more ‘secrets of the Palace’ from those people of Greater Manchester who had some involvement in the Refuge Assurance before the building’s closure in 1988. Any resident who worked, or whose relatives worked at the Assurance Building, or who have any memories regarding the building should email [email protected] to share their stories. Or call Jonathan on 07876235638. The best stories will win a free tour for themselves and a guest.
There are just four dates available for these exclusive tours: Mon,Sept 5, 6pm; Tues, Sept 6, 6pm; Sat, Sept 10, 1.30pm; Sun, Sept 11, 1.30pm. Tickets are £10 and are available at www.jonathanschofieldtours.com.
Palace Hotel, Oxford Road, Manchester, M60 7HA. 0161 2281111.
