The Infamous Adelphi Hotel, Lime Street

Image: © Sue Adair Taken: 16 Mar 2006

The first Adelphi Hotel opened in 1826 and soon became the most popular hotel in the city gaining a reputation throughout Britain and Europe. In 1912, the great hotelier, Arthur Towle, acquired and rebuilt the Adelphi to make it one of the most luxurious in Europe, with solid marble walls in many of the bedrooms, indoor heated swimming pool, sauna and full central heating. The Sefton Suite is in fact a replica of the First Class Smoking Lounge on the ill fated "Titanic". The following years saw a flourishing trade, with the hotel as Liverpool’s arrival and departure point for passengers on the great liners to American and beyond with many famous people staying in the hotel. The Adelphi Hotel shot to fame in 1997 when it became the star of the TV screen with an eight-part series which documented the trials and trauma of the prestigious hotel; from the indoor barbecue which smoked out the banqueting hall to the infamous verbal onslaughts between Chef and Deputy Manager Brian which produced the now famous catch phrase; "Just cook will yer!"

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