Fleece Hotel
| The Fleece Hotel | |
|---|---|
 The Fleece Hotel (centre) | |
 | |
| Former names | Golden Fleece Inn |
| General information | |
| Type | Hotel |
| Address | 19 Westgate Street |
| Town or city | Gloucester |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Completed | 1497 |
| Renovated | 2014 |
The Fleece Hotel, Westgate Street, Gloucester is a building dating from the 15th century, which incorporated a 12th century undercroft. The building is part grade I and part grade II listed with Historic England.
History
The Fleece Hotel was first opened in 1497 as one of the three major inns of Gloucester to house pilgrims visiting the tomb of Edward II of England. The 12th century undercroft, known as the "Monk's Retreat" was originally part of a merchant's house, and was incorporated into the structure.[1][2] By 1455, it was a property owned by Gloucester Abbey, and was developed into an inn by the Abbey during the 16th century. It was first recorded as the Golden Fleece Inn in 1673. The building was made part Grade I listed on 24 January 1952,[2] with other parts of the building made Grade II listed on 15 December 1998.[3]
After the building was left empty for around nine years, the hotel was purchased by Gloucester City Council in 2011.[4] The announcement was made that year of a £350,000 restoration scheme, with the leader of the city council, Paul James, saying "We want to restore it to bring it back into use and we want to do that as quickly as possible."[5] They subsequently undertook waterproofing work in both the salt loft and the kitchen block, with further repair works and partial demolition afterwards.[4] Two years later, plans were revealed for the building to be run as a backpacker's hostel by the YMCA, and with the undercroft operated as a cafe/bar.[1]
References
- ^ a b "£12m plan to reopen Fleece Hotel and Monk's Retreat bar". Gloucestershire Live. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ a b "The Fleece Hotel". Historic England. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ "The Fleece Hotel (Part)". Historic England. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Gloucester's Fleece Hotel made weatherproof after repairs". BBC News. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ "Landmark Fleece Hotel in Gloucester revamp plan". BBC News. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
External links
Media related to The Fleece Hotel, Gloucester at Wikimedia Commons