The Midland Hotel, Bradford goes up for sale for £3 million

The Midland Hotel, in Cheapside, in the city centre has appeared on property sale website, Rightmove.

It is listed with a guide price of £3 million and is described as "one of Bradford's most famous buildings".

The hotel opened in 1890 as an architectural gem of Bradford and was built by the Midland Railway Company, taking around five years to complete.

Rightmove's website said: "The hotel was a showpiece for the railway company’s Northern operations, and is of particular architectural interest, with some of the finest Victorian interiors in the city."

The Midland Hotel, in Cheapside, Bradford city centre (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

Its opening was just three months after that of the new Midland Station, now Bradford Forster Square Railway Station.

There have been a number of famous faces checking in and out of the hotel across its history.

Among the guests over the years were Laurel and Hardy, the Beatles, Sean Connery, George Formby, Bram Stoker, JB Priestley, John Le Mesurier, and a series of Prime Ministers, including Winston Churchill and Harold Wilson.

More recently those visiting have included actors Tom Courtney, Brian Cox, Michael Palin, Jean Simmons and Michael Brandon, and pop acts the Human League and Belinda Carlisle.

The Midland has also played its own role in TV dramas such as Kay Mellor's The Syndicate and The Royal, and factual programmes including Great British Railway Journeys and Long Lost Families.

The foyer at the hotel (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

The business won Hotel of the Year at the 2022 Telegraph & Argus Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Awards in last November.

The listing states the hotel has 90 ensuite bedrooms, including 24 premium rooms, 10 executive king rooms, three family rooms and three suites.

It also has 11 function/banqueting suites, which includes two ballrooms that are popular for weddings and a variety of functions.

Rightmove's listing said any buyer would have the chance to build on the reputation of a well-established hotel but also outlined the building has the potential opportunity for alternative use, subject to planning.

The listing states: "The Midland Hotel is a superb building in the heart of Bradford city centre.

"The hotel is very well established and offers a new owner the opportunity to build on its reputation.

"Hotels of this size and profile rarely come to the market.

"The Midland Hotel has extensive public and function areas and is is a famous building full of character.

"The building does offer a potential opportunity for alternative use (subject to planning approvals), especially considering its fantastic location."

The Spirit of Bradford bar in The Midland Hotel (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

A full list of staff to be transferred on completion has been provided in the listing's data room.

Councillor Si Cunningham (Lab, Bolton and Undercliffe) tweeted about the hotel going up for sale last night.

He said: "Not your usual Rightmove listing.

"With the right people, what an opportunity though!

"Beautiful building, fascinating history, right in the heart of the next UK City of Culture…"