Waverley's Blog and News

Glasgow's Grand Central Hotel Light Show begins tonight at 9.10pm to celebrate its reopening and becoming a voco hotel after multimillion pound rebrand

voco Grand Central Hotel projects a bright future

Historic images will be projected onto Glasgow’s iconic voco Grand Central Hotel in a stunning light show ahead of hospitality reopening

CITY CENTRE LIGHT SHOW

The light show will run for seven nights from Friday 23 April 2021 from 9.10pm, illuminating the hotel’s clock tower on Hope Street. With spectacular archive imagery documenting the vibrant history of the hotel; from the building of the station in 1870s, through the golden age of travel when Hollywood stars including Gene Kelly, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra stayed as guests, right up to the present day and celebrating the future as a voco hotel.

Following a call out for contributions, memories and pictures have been contributed by many Glaswegians, guests and former staff members. These have been captured in the projection alongside the words of Glaswegian playwright Laurie Motherwell in audio poetry which celebrates Grand Central’s cherished place at the beating heart of Glasgow for almost 140 years

GLASGOW'S MOST LOVED HOTEL BECOMES A VOCO HOTEL

The show marks the reopening of ‘Glasgow’s most loved hotel’ on April 26 following a multi-million refurbishment to become one of Scotland’s first voco branded hotels, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts, after more than a year of closure owing to Covid-19.

Paul Bray, Area Manager for IHG Hotels & Resorts UK North and General Manager of voco Grand Central Hotel said:

“Thank you to the Herald and Glasgow Times, the Caledonian Railway Association and RCAHMS, who gave us access to their brilliant archive for the projection which honours the heritage of our building as a British Railway Hotel and a landmark in Glasgow’s story for the past 130 years. We’d also really like to thank Jill Scott and Bill Hicks, historians and writers of Grand Central, Glasgow’s Most Loved Hotel published by Waverley Books, whose research has been invaluable to us and we are grateful to have them as advocates for our unique story.”

Kate Pierce née Powell was a staff member at the hotel during the 1970s, starting as a bookkeeper in 1971 and later becoming Head Cashier. She responded to the hotel’s call for photos, submitting images and memories which have been included in the projection.

CELEBRATED MEMORIES

“At the time being British Transport Hotel trained carried great prestige, it was a privileged position and I have wonderful memories of my time living and working in the hotel, including the many interesting and famous guests. It’s lovely to have our memories featured in this special projection. We’re glad to see the hotel and its stories being preserved for generations to come by the voco brand and I look forward to visiting.”

The light show will run from Saturday April 24 – Thursday April 29. voco Grand Central Hotel requests visitors to the projection and passers-by respect social distancing throughout.

BACKGROUND HISTORY OF THE GRAND CENTRAL HOTEL:

From its opening in 1883 as a British Railway Hotel, The Central Hotel as it was known for many years has long been a place where people would come together to spend special times. Connecting the second city of the empire to London, the evolution of the railway and its hotel offered increasing numbers of Victorians who could afford it the opportunity to take holidays in Glasgow, perhaps on their way to the Highlands and Trossachs. Leisure time was more freely available than it had ever been and many new pastimes evolved, including the enjoyment of tearooms, for which the palatial interiors of the hotel suited greatly.

JOHN F KENNEDY and the ATHENIA

The hotel was at the heart of innovation and global history including the first ever long distance television broadcast by John Logie Baird, from London to a room on the Hotel’s fourth floor. It was also where a young John F Kennedy met the survivors of the Clyde Built liner The Athenia, sunk by a U-boat in 1939 with many Americans on board. It was his first visit to the UK, having been sent by his father the US ambassador to support the survivors.

GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD AND GOLDEN AGE OF A GREAT BRITISH RAILWAY HOTEL

In the hotel’s golden age many of Hollywood greatest stars walked through its doors on the corner of Hope Street and Gordon Street, including Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis Junior, JFK, Vivien Leigh and Frank Sinatra. Since then it has continued to occupy a place at the heart of many Glaswegians who chose to celebrate weddings, Christmas and birthdays there; home to the city’s awards ceremonies and charity events, it’s greatly revered as Glasgow’s most loved hotel.

ABOUT VOCO^® GRAND CENTRAL, GLASGOW - 230 BEDROOMS

The recently refurbished voco Grand Central Hotel opened in March 2021 following a multi-million rebrand to become one of Scotland’s first voco™ hotels, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts.

The expansive refurbishment updated 230 bedrooms, meeting rooms and reception areas enhancing the historic charm and existing grandeur of the Grand Central Hotel with bold branding. A contemporary fresh palette of blues and voco signature yellow compliments the original Victorian architecture throughout the 19^thcentury great British railway hotel, preserving memories of the hotel’s golden age, the stories of which are much loved by visitors to the hotel and Glaswegians alike. Guests can enjoy a new gallery wall featuring artworks which remembers many of its celebrity guests including John F Kennedy, John Lennon and Frank Sinatra.

CHAMPAGNE CENTRAL

The hotel bar Champagne Central, overlooks Central Station and evokes the golden age of travel. Serving champagne, cocktails, afternoon tea and a new tapas menu celebrating the best of Scottish produce, guests can enjoy an afternoon or evening surrounded in glamour.

ABOUT VOCO™ HOTELS

voco™ Hotels combines the reassurance of a big brand with the informality and charm of an individual hotel, providing guests with a dependably upscale experience. The name, voco™, means ‘to invite’ and ‘call together'. For more information and to book, visit www.vocohotels.com, and stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/vocohotels, and Instagram www.instagram.com/vocohotels.  

Waverley Scotland’s Grand Tour – Part One: Holyrood and the Palace

Waverley Scotland’s Grand Tour – Part One: Holyrood and the Palace

Burns Night - January 25th ; The story behind Tam O' Shanter ; Tam O' Shanter Part 5

And so here we are, January 25^th. Burns Night.

We have been featuring Burns’ epic poem Tam O’ Shanter, today being the 5^th and concluding part with a simplified English translation.

The story behind the poem is interesting.

This marvellously vivid piece of description, represents more fully than any of Burns' other poems the greatness of his imaginative gifts; and apart from songs and the Elegy on Captain Henderson is the only very notable example of his muse during the last nine years of his life.

Yet it owes its origin to mere accident.

The churchyard surrounding the ruined kirk of Alloway was the burial place of his father, and when Burns in 1789 met Captain Francis Grose while he was staying with Robert Riddell at the Friar’s Carse, when visiting Scotland to making drawings for his work on The Antiquities of Scotland, he suggested to Grose to insert a picture of the ruined kirk in his volume. But as no architectural interest attaches to the ruin, Grose only agreed to the request on condition that Burns should "furnish a witch story to be printed along with it". Apparently what Grose expected and Burns first intended was a witch story in prose, for he sent three samples from which Grose might chose; and it was only by a happy second thought that Burns found in one of the tales the theme for his immortal Tam o' Shanter.

Here is the Tam O’Shanter story in Burns's own prose: —

On a market-day in the town of Ayr, a farmer from Carrick and consequently whose way lay by the very gate of Alloway kirkyard, in order to cross the river Doon at the old bridge, which is about two or three hundred yards further on than the said gate, had been detained by his business till by the time he reached Alloway it was the wizard hour between night and morning.

Though he was terrified with a blaze shining from the kirk, yet, as it is a well-known fact that to turn back on these occasions is running by far the greatest risk of mischief, he prudently advanced on his road.

When he had reached the gate of the kirkyard, he was surprised and entertained, through the ribs and arches of an old Gothic window, which still faces the highway, to see a dance of witches merrily footing it round their old sooty blackguard master, who was keeping them all alive with the power of his bagpipe.

The farmer, stopping his horse to observe them a little, could plainly descry the faces of many old women of his acquaintance and neighbourhood. How the gentleman was dressed tradition does not say, but that the ladies were all in their smocks: and one of them

happening unluckily to have a smock which was considerably short to answer all the purposes of that piece of dress, our farmer was so tickled that he involuntarily burst out with a loud laugh, 'Weel luppen Maggy wi' the short sark!', and, recollecting himself, instantly spurred his horse to the top of his speed.

I need not mention the universally known fact, that no diabolical power can pursue you beyond the middle of a running stream. Lucky it was for the poor farmer that the river Doon was so near, for notwithstanding the speed of the horse, which was a good one, when he reached the middle of the arch of the bridge, and consequently the middle of the stream, the pursuing vengeful hags were so close at his heels that one of them actually sprang to seize him; but it was too late; nothing was on her side of the stream but the horses tail, which immediately gave way at her infernal grip, as if blasted by a stroke of lightning; but the farmer was beyond her reach.

However the unsightly tailless condition of the vigorous steed was, to the last hour of the noble creature's life, an awful warning to the Carrick farmers not to stay too long in Ayr markets.

From Robert Burns' Poems, Edited by T.F. Henderson, published Heidelberg, 1906.

Illustration : Alloway Kirk from Grose's The Antiquities of Scotland

A Traditional Burns Supper; Tam O' Shanter Part 4

A traditional Burns Supper can be a formal dinner held on, or around, Burns Night. Guests normally dress in traditional Highland dress – the men in kilts or tartan trousers and the women in smart dresses or formal evening wear, perhaps with a dash of tartan. Burns himself did not wear tartan but now the night is something of an occasion. Families and friends might dress up and have something along the same lines, or have a quiet evening celebrating Scotland’s national poet and the universal themes he immortalised. Some elements will be common to each meal. Outside of the normal toasts, there may be a keynote speaker (at a big dinner this might be a celebrity or personality).

The Selkirk Grace :

This is a Scottish Prayer associated with Robert Burns. After the host’s words of welcome, when the guests are seated, this grace is said:

Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.

Cock-a-Leekie Soup:

A soup made with chicken with giblets, leeks, water, rice, bay leaf and seasoning.

(A vegetarian dish is offered also)

Other soups commonly on a Burns Night menu :

Scotch Broth (Soup of barley; lamb, mutton or beef, root vegetables; pulses)

Cullen Skink (Soup of smoked haddock, potatoes, onions)

Address To A Haggis

which begins:

Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin’-race!
Aboon them a’ ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As lang’s my arm.

Haggis, Warm ‘n Reekin’, wi Champit Tatties Mashed Neeps and a Wee Dram

Haggis – traditionally made with a sheep's pluck and stomach-bag, the lungs and heart minced, the liver chopped; suet; oatmeal; onions; chopped parsley, herbs and seasoning, served with mashed potatoes and mashed turnips, presented with a small glass of Scotch whisky.

A vegetarian or vegan dish is always offered now of course.

Tipsy Laird

A classic trifle, made with whisky, Scottish raspberries, jelly and custard, with grated chocolate.

Oatcakes and Ayrshire Cheese ; A Tassie o’ Coffee and anither Wee Dram

The Immortal Memory :

The Immortal Memory celebrates Burns' enduring spirit, in a tribute to Robert Burns.

Ca’ the Yowes : a song, by Robert Burns. The chorus:

Ca' the yowes to the knowes,

Ca' them where the heather grows

Ca' them where the burnie rows,

My bonie dearie.

Tam O’ Shanter :

A recital of ‘Tam O’Shanter’– the epic poem in which Burns paints a vivid picture of the drinking classes in the old Scotch town of Ayr in the late 18th century. where the speaker is expected to recite the poem from memory. First lines :

When chapmen billies leave the street,
And drouthy neebors, neebors meet,

As market days are wearing late,
An' folk begin to tak the gate;
While we sit bousing at the nappy,
And getting fou and unco happy,

A Toast to the Lassies :

These days this toast may be a humorous speech. It is treated as a highlight of the evening. The speaker is expected to praise the role of women in the world today. There will be some references to Burns work. It is about women and their influence and effect on men, perhaps alluding to some of those present.

The Reply or Toast to the Laddies:

Again, this toast is expected to be a highlight of the evening. A female guest will give her views on men. She has to think on her feet and reply to any specific points raised in the previous toast. Also she needs to be witty and humorous and not offensive. Done well, it is full of charm.

Is There For Honest Poverty : a song, by Robert Burns.

"A Man's a Man for A' That", also known as "Is There for Honest Poverty" is a 1795 song by Robert Burns famous for its expression of support for the principle of equality for all people. The first verse :

Is there for honest Poverty

That hings his head, an' a' that;

The coward slave - we pass him by,

We dare be poor for a' that!

For a' that, an' a' that.

Our toils obscure an' a' that,

The rank is but the guinea's stamp,

The Man's the gowd for a' that.

Vote of Thanks and anither Wee Dram

Auld Lang Syne