The hotel was originally built as the station hotel for the Grand Junction Railway in 1837[1] and passed into the ownership of the London and North Western Railway on its formation in 1846.[2] After Prince Albert acquired an interest in Balmoral Castle in 1848,[3] Queen Victoria became a regular visitor to the Crewe Arms Hotel when she stayed overnight on her journey to her summer holidays in Scotland.[1] An underground tunnel was built to enable her to move freely and in privacy to and from the station which was to the immediate west of the hotel.[1][4][5]
The hotel was substantially rebuilt in 1880[6] to a design which involved a symmetrical main frontage with eight bays facing onto Nantwich Road; the central section of two bays, which slightly projected forward, featured an entrance on the ground floor, two windows on each of the first floor and second floor and a large and distinctive entablature supporting the coat of arms of the Barons Crewe at roof level.[7]
Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, the hotel became a convenient meeting place for Cheshire County Council[8] and it continued to host council meetings until County Hall on Castle Drive in Chester was completed in 1957.[9]
The hotel then came into the ownership of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1922.[10] Following nationalisation of the railways it became part of the portfolio of the British Transport Hotels in January 1948.[11] It was acquired by Embassy Hotels in 1969 and, after a period of ownership by Jarvis Hotels,[12] it was bought by Grant Moon, a catering entrepreneur.[13] It changed hands again, passing into the ownership of Harpreet Singh in 2008[14] and of Silverton Global in 2013:[15] Silverton Global subsequently re-branded it as a Best Western Hotel.[16]
