25 jobs created as historic Rotherham building reopens as new boutique hotel, bar and restaurant

The George Wright boutique hotel, bar and restaurant in Rotherham has officially opened.

The Grade-II listed building, located behind the High Street on Snail Hill, dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. However, it has laid empty since the mid-1990s after being severely fire-damaged.

Following a £500k redevelopment scheme, the venue has opened its doors once again as a seven-bedroomed boutique hotel, creating 25 new jobs.

The George Wright features a function room that can accommodate 150 people with open terraces and a botanical-type garden to the rear. The building also boasts gin and whisky bars and a gallery restaurant with an open kitchen offering dining for up to 80 people.

The redevelopment has been designed by architects Self and White Design.

Project architect Kevin Unwin said: “This is a brilliant regeneration project which is bringing new life to a wonderful building, creating jobs and providing something unique for the people of Rotherham.

“We have, wherever possible, reinstated a lot of the original brickwork, natural stone and timber which has been left exposed to keep the feel of the building throughout. The internal fit out has also included the refurbishment of things like original fireplaces and front doors.”

Each bedroom, including two wedding suites, is named after a famous son or daughter of Rotherham. These include civil engineer Sir Donald Coleman Bailey, inventor of the Bailey Bridge which helped secure victory in World War Two, and the ardent slavery abolitionist Elizabeth Walker.

Heritage Lottery Funding backed by Rotherham Council enabled the fire damaged shell of the building to be repaired in 2013, when it was bought by Chris Hamby as part of his High Street regeneration project in Rotherham.

Another local businessman Mark McGrail then bought it and, working with Self and White Design, has now created the George Wright boutique hotel, bar and restaurant.

Mark, director at Parkgate firm SME Environmental Services, said: “This is a remarkable building which many people still don’t know exists, a hidden gem that Rotherham should be proud of.

“This is all about celebrating Rotherham’s history and its people but also helping to create a strong future too. There have been over 250,000 expressions of interest and requests for more information online and so we are very confident that people really want this kind of high-quality establishment in Rotherham.”