Modernism in Morecambe
The Midland Hotel
The Midland Hotel was the epitome of modernist glamour when it
opened in 1933. A decline in local tourism and years of neglect led to
its closure but it has recently been rescued from dereliction by Urban
Splash and is due to re-open in spring 2008. A resurgence of interest
in this iconic building is certain and is already being fuelled by the
publication of an absorbing new book by Barry Guise and Pam Brook,
Lecturer and Curriculum Team Leader for Creative Arts at Bradford
College.
Pam
intends to present a talk about her research on the hotel at the
Yorkshire Craft Centre in early 2008 but you don’t need to wait until
then to read this fascinating and stunningly illustrated book - you can
purchase it at a special discounted price at the Yorkshire Craft Centre.
The project has been a long-standing interest and a labour of love for Pam. “I had this in mind for a long time but started looking at it formally in 1992 whilst I was doing research for my MA Art History. I started cataloguing artefacts which led me to the Public Records Office and then to the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) archives. My research on The Midland became part of my dissertation project ‘Heritage Beside The Sea’ which also included the Burgh Island Hotel in Devon and the Delaware Pavilion at Bexhill on Sea.
I had been to Morecambe as a child occasionally and then I later
returned with friends by chance and was dismayed to see The Midland’s
sorry state. I have always loved this modernist design and I am
thrilled to see that it will be re-opening to the public as an
up-market hotel. The book came about after I did a talk about the
hotel in 1999. One of my students then went to Morecambe and met Sue
Thompson, Chair of the Friends group who were desperately trying to
save the building. I was then introduced and met Barry Guise, the
membership secretary and we had the idea of publishing a book. "
continued