Norbreck Castle Hotel is a large, historic seafront hotel located on Queens Promenade in the Norbreck area of Blackpool. With 480 bedrooms and 22 conference suites, including the notable Norcalympia Conference Centre, it is one of Blackpool’s largest hotels and a key venue for both leisure and business events. The hotel’s history dates back to 1869 when it was originally built as a private country house. At the turn of the 19th century, the property was purchased by J. H. Shorrocks, who transformed it into a venue for lavish private weekend parties. These gatherings became so popular that Shorrocks began hosting paying guests, turning the house into a commercial establishment. In 1912, Shorrocks expanded the property, renaming it the Norbreck Hydro. Over the next few decades, the hotel grew in stature and popularity, with several phases of development that included the addition of a ballroom, a swimming pool, and a solarium by the early 1930s. By then, the Norbreck Hydro had become a prestigious destination, attracting British nobility, upper-class patrons, and notable stars from stage, screen, and radio.
During World War II, the hotel was requisitioned by the British government and converted into offices and accommodation for evacuated civil servants. It remained under government control for eleven years before being returned to private ownership in 1951. At the time of its handover, the hotel boasted extensive facilities, including open-air parking for 250 cars, five tennis courts, an 18-hole golf course, a bowling green, a 600-seat restaurant, two ballrooms (one for conferences, seating up to 850 people, and a smaller one for private events), two cocktail bars, a swimming pool, and 400 bedrooms, of which 97 had private bathrooms. In the late 1970s, the hotel’s disco became a popular venue for concerts, particularly for punk rock, new wave, and mod revival bands. The Norbreck Castle hosted early gigs by several now-famous bands, including Adam and the Ants (before they transitioned to new wave) and The Pretenders, who played one of their first live performances there in 1979. Other notable acts included Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Ozzy Osbourne (in his first solo appearance after leaving Black Sabbath), and The Stray Cats, who had one of their early UK gigs at the hotel. The Stray Cats’ performance, however, ended controversially when the lead singer spat on the audience, sparking a fight and the eventual cancellation of the concert by the police.
The hotel was also the site of a significant political event in 1988, when the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party merged to form the Liberal Democrats. In a piece written for New Statesman about the merger, journalist Jonathan Calder described the hotel as having a “Soviet ambience” during the event, made all the more atmospheric by the trams and melting snow outside. More recently, in 2003, the hotel was involved in a controversial incident when a group of 15 children from Hong Kong, who had returned to study at Rossall School, were isolated there due to concerns over the SARS virus. The children were confined to a self-contained wing of the hotel with a nurse. However, when the story leaked to the press, the situation escalated, and an “abusive mob” of hotel guests forced the children to be removed for their safety.
Today, Norbreck Castle Hotel is owned and operated by Britannia Hotels, one of several properties in Blackpool under their management. The hotel continues to serve as a key venue for conferences, events, and leisure stays, offering both modern amenities and a glimpse into Blackpool’s rich hospitality history.
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