Member Article

Hotel Seeking Scottish and Newcastle Memorabilia

A Newcastle hotel on the site of a former brewery is preparing to celebrate the 85th birthday of one of the city’s most famous exports.

The Sandman Signature Hotel Newcastle opened in October 2011 in the former headquarters of the Scottish and Newcastle Brewery – home of the legendary Newcastle Brown Ale.

Now, the hotel, the first in the UK to be opened by leading Canadian hospitality chain the Sandman Hotel Group, plans to celebrate the drink’s landmark birthday and is calling on anyone who owns S and N memorabilia to get in touch.

The four-star, 170-bedroom venue hopes people with mementoes of the brewery will loan them to be displayed to guests and visitors for one week from Friday November 9.

“The brewery played a big part in the history of the city and in the lives of a great many people,” said Sandman Signature General Manager Kevin Gilhooly. “So we thought it would be nice to celebrate Brown Ale’s 85thbirthday with a display of pictures and items connected with it.”

The display is the latest in a number of tributes the hotel has paid to its Scottish and Newcastle heritage since opening its doors last October.

Among its first guests was a group of former brewery employees who were given a VIP tour of the building following its refurbishment and its two, purpose-built conference rooms pay homage to the men who made the brewery famous across the world.

The Porter Room, which can accommodate up to 60 delegates, is named after Colonel J H Porter, who invented Newcastle Brown Ale and features the brewery’s original marble corner stone, laid to commemorate the first turf cut in the site on March 2 1964.

In addition the Younger Room, which can hold up to 35 people, was named in honour of Sir William McEwan Younger - who was the first chairman and managing director of Scottish andNewcastle- and features a similar corner stone, laid to mark the official opening of the building on December 2 1965.

Anyone interested in sharing their memories and memorabilia is asked to contact the hotel via email at theoneandonly@sandmanhotels.co.uk . The names of all those whose contributions are accepted will be entered into a prize draw with the chance of winning one of several deluxe Brown Ale packages, which include accommodation and meals at the Sandman Signature Hotel Newcastle along with a commemorative gift box.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sorted PR .