I have stayed twice in the midland Bradford, very impressed. Beautiful building as for Bradford it has some beautiful architecture. Well worth a visit and very close to salt air ..
@@RogEdwardsTV I think the Victoria is the more impressive building of the two, in terms of the architecture. The show face of the hotel appears to be at the back of the building but that was the side that overlooked the former (and impressive) Victorian rail station, sadly demolished by BR in the '70's. Pure vandalism. I've stayed in the Victoria a number of times but only ever visited the bar in the Midland. Thankfully much of that road/pedestrianisation is almost complete. Best avoid Wetherspoons and have a drink in the tunnels at Sunbridge Wells. It's far more interesting although it certainly could do with more footfall.
Well, I am pleased to see the standards at The Midland, Bradford, have not slipped. I used to go for lunch in the late '80's early '90's. I am not too sure who owned it then, but the lunches and more importantly the surroundings were superb and the prices so reasonable. There were always freshly laundered tablecloths and linen napkins. It was a superb place to unwind at lunchtime.
Brave man booking a Britannia, but despite the budget furniture in the room, it seems worth the money. I imagine those rooms will get tatty very quickly though, and I worry about its future under that brand. Great video! Ps. I got a refund on a jacket I ripped on a fence in Edinburgh - worth contacting the contractor!
@@steve-marsh if truth be told I don’t think Britannia put that furniture in the room it was done under the previous ownership. Having said that Britannia have spent some money on refurbishing the French ballroom and the dining room so maybe they are investing in a property for once.
I enjoyed that. I live in Bradford so have no real reason to stay at the hotel but I have always enjoyed the bars in there and the meals I've had there at work events. I'm glad you had a nice time in my City :)
Thanks for watching, Barry! I enjoyed visiting the city. I think I’ll go back and stay at the Midland next year and check out how the city looks after all the roadworks. 🚧
I attended the opening night after the major refurbishment & it's good to see the hotel going strong. I booked a room there for a visit to Bradford but the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in us cancelling!
I’m so glad you went to the Midland after I recommended it to you some time back. I appreciate Bradford has probably seen better days but with it being my hometown I do have a soft spot for it. If they can do all that for £71 inc breakfast and whilst I accept other cities are more expensive, it just shows you how much these hotels are making by charging in some cases extortionate rates. I’m glad that the Midland hasn’t gone downhill since Britannia took it over because I used to stay there when it was owned by Peel Hotels and I loved it.
Thanks for the recommendation. I really enjoyed my stay. The staff were great! I’ll be interested to see how the city looks next year after they finish all the projects. 🤔
@@RogEdwardsTV by the way you were correct that you’d have seen Magnum and St George’s Hall. The Alhambra is mainly for theatrical productions rather than live bands. The Bradford Live that you featured is the old Odeon cinema which has been renovated into a 3,800 seat concert venue. Sadly it looks like it may never get off the ground because all events that were earmarked have been cancelled and it’s just sitting empty. Architecturally Bradford is still a beautiful city and you can see of its once great and opulent past. They are spending an absolute fortune on the city centre to try and get it ready for its city of culture status. I’m really glad you enjoyed your stay and that it paid off because I was unsure if you were actually going to go.
Just checked - the Magnum concert was 11th December 1985! Crikey! Also from other comments below, I now realise that the Great Victoria Hotel is also a British Transport Hotel. I totally missed that when I did my research. I could have stayed 2 nights and done both. Still it definitely gives me a reason to go back next year for the City of Culture and to review the other hotel! 🙏🏻
@@RogEdwardsTV absolutely. I nearly mentioned the Victoria Hotel as well. That’s actually next door to St George’s Hall. That was the hotel for the old Bradford Exchange station which is now known as the interchange and the Midland was for Forster Square (pronounced Foster). There are still a few reminders of the old stations but not many. Did you walk down to Foster Square and see the arches? If you require any info on Bradford I’m happy to try and help if I can.
@@James-el2kj Let’s keep in touch. I’ll aim to go back to Bradford next summer to see what they have done for the City of Culture and to review the Great Victoria! Cheers! 😀
Hi Roger, glad I've found your channel, I'm seeing parts of the UK I've never been. I rarely drink alcohol but Malbec is a good red wine, £71 for the night was very reasonable too. Where are you off to next?
Thanks Cathy! For the Railway Hotels - I’m not sure which I’ll do next as they are either very expensive or fully booked. I’ve been trying to book the Inverness hotel for ages. Yesterday I went on a ferry to one of the Scottish Islands. It was such a glorious day it felt like I was in the Caribbean. Thanks so much for watching. 😀
The minute the name Britannia Hotels is mentioned brings back horrendous memories of the Birmingham hotel near New Street station. How they stay in business is a mystery
@ Totally agree, the Birmingham one is a beautiful building, great location, but the brand name is contaminated now, really needs new management and a total branding revamp. They should take a look at what Travelodge have done with the revamps on a lot of their locations.
My mum has told me many times of her visits to eat or stay at the Midland in the 1950’s when it was THE hotel along with the other railway hotel, The Victoria next to the old Exchange station.
Great Video, Rog! Not bad value for price at all for the hotel! In terms of trains, you should definitely try out the Class 333's on the Airedale and Wharfedale Line at some point too that run from Bradford Forster Square to Ilkley, Skipton and Leeds via Shipley.
Thanks Reece. I was surprised the train I went from Leeds to Bradford Interchange on was going to Blackpool North, seemed like a bit of a random destination from there! The day after when I was heading back to York there were trespassers on the line and it took 2 hours to get back to York, with Leeds in utter chaos. Platforms changing every few minutes. In the end I just happened to be on the right platform for a Transpennine Express train that was over a hour late to come alongside and I got on that.☺️
@@RogEdwardsTV Yeah that'll have been a Northern Class 195, which run from York to Blackpool North via Preston. They've installed the ironing board shape seats on those trains and are not the most comfortable. Yeah there was a lot of disruption in Leeds this week...
Great video again myself and the better half popped in for a drink last year when we stayed in Bradford to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Alhambra Theatre we were impressed how lovely it was after your review if we ever go to Bradford again we may book it the Town Hall is a wonderful lookin building and the theatre's
Brings back memories of going there for dances in the 90’s with my mates. You paid to get in & got pie & peas as well, you had to be quick to get your food.
Hey Rog yeah I share your view, that place looked pretty decent all round, definitely a pleasant surprise when expectations are low. Good value too, the room looked quite spacious! And you probably paid an upgrade for that. One other small thing is I'm insanely fussy with my food to my eternal regret, many say weird coz I'm not a fan of baked beans 😆 so people like me appreciate when they put them in a little pot and they dont go all over everything on the plate 😁 it's the little things you know! I'd probably stay there over trivial things like that, 😄 nice work, man. Always entertaining! 👌
@@RogEdwardsTV ain't that a fact 😆though most just think I'm crazy if I tell them I don't like baked beans 😁 well done again though! It's a thumbs up 👍 from me for that establishment 😁
The Midland looked impressive from the outside. The inside was good as well. The cost with breakfast(looked great by the way), very reasonable. Did well to climb to the 3rd floor! Centre of Bradford, impressive as well. Liked the bar/lounge area(the red wine looked ace!). Yes a picture or two, would've made a difference to the room, which was fine. Glasgow still in 1st place! Thanks for sharing, Roger. 🍷😊 👍
You mentioned lack of a railway feel. You possibly missed the rear door that has a slope down to what was the old railway station and there are lots of railway bits there. Platform trollys signs etc. that is unless Britannian have got rid of them.
Beautiful building and magnificent entrance and staircase. Sadly, things go downhill upon entering the room. Are you really expected to do your own ironing and make your own coffee and toast. They'll be expecting you to clean your own shoes next!
When I stayed here on a work course I had a top floor turret room and was kept awake by the constant cooing of the pigeons. The hotel had a good location for Bradford city centre though.
Looks very nice place !!! Like most BTH would have been the best in town in those days !!! I worked with people from that hotel in BTH where I worked ,
Looked OK, though might not have been so good if they had been busier! The snag with these Victorian hotels is that whilst they look magnificent, the running & maintenance costs must be enormous, so unless they can pack the place out all the time, its not going to make money, which leads to lowering of standards to save money. For example, the grand public rooms in the dreaded Grand Hotel in Scarborough look fantastic, but get beyond that and the rooms are shoddy, and service awful. This Bradford one seems to be avoiding that fate so far, but can they fill it when they are competing with the likes of Premier Inns and Travelodges, which must be much cheaper to operate?
All good thoughts and thanks for watching. One thing I noticed was the Midland seems to have a reputation for wedding receptions. The Ballroom was simply stunning (though the lights were off so I couldn’t film) and I can see why people would want to celebrate their wedding there! 😀
Great video, I've lost the like button otherwise i would have given you a like. There is also the Great Victoria Hotel which was part of the other Bradford station.
Thanks for watching! I saw the Great Victoria Hotel when I arrived at Bradford Interchange. When I was doing my research, I totally missed the fact there was a second British Transport Hotel in Bradford. That gives me another reason to go back! 😀
Hi Roger that hotel looked brilliant but in fairness a bad company should improve and Britania looks now to be making good progress..... and that breakfast oh that breakfast and here is me not able to eat anything at the moment 😢 4 weeks I've been like this now.... I must be suffering from 5 star Michelin gut syndrome. Richard in Newcastle upon Tyne 😀
I like the room but I always hate cushions. Pillows you can tell are clean but the kind of fabric cushions are made of harbour lots of nasties and very doubtful they are taken and cleaned each changeover. Horrible things shouldn’t be in hotel bedrooms.
It’s Foster square not forester square,named after John Foster mill owner and millionaire,if you had taken the trouble to walk around the corner you’d have seen his statue,get your facts right.
Sorry I got it wrong. Many people have pointed it out already in the comments, but not as aggressively as you. Why so much anger? What do you think of the Midland Hotel?
06:05 White plug socket kinda ruined it for me, Couldn't went with with a chrome one to match the lamp. Part from that,, it's better than I would from Britannia hotels,, especially with the bathroom.
What did you think of the Midland Hotel Bradford - especially given the reputation of the Britannia Hotels? Please let me know in the comments below!
I have stayed twice in the midland Bradford, very impressed. Beautiful building as for Bradford it has some beautiful architecture. Well worth a visit and very close to salt air ..
Thanks for watching. I’m looking forward to going back to try out the other British Transport Hotel in Bradford - the Great Victoria! 😀
@@RogEdwardsTV I think the Victoria is the more impressive building of the two, in terms of the architecture. The show face of the hotel appears to be at the back of the building but that was the side that overlooked the former (and impressive) Victorian rail station, sadly demolished by BR in the '70's. Pure vandalism.
I've stayed in the Victoria a number of times but only ever visited the bar in the Midland.
Thankfully much of that road/pedestrianisation is almost complete.
Best avoid Wetherspoons and have a drink in the tunnels at Sunbridge Wells. It's far more interesting although it certainly could do with more footfall.
@vihuelamig thanks so much for the tips!
Well, I am pleased to see the standards at The Midland, Bradford, have not slipped. I used to go for lunch in the late '80's early '90's. I am not too sure who owned it then, but the lunches and more importantly the surroundings were superb and the prices so reasonable. There were always freshly laundered tablecloths and linen napkins. It was a superb place to unwind at lunchtime.
Thanks for watching. I thought the restaurant/dinning room at the hotel was impressive. 😀
Brave man booking a Britannia, but despite the budget furniture in the room, it seems worth the money. I imagine those rooms will get tatty very quickly though, and I worry about its future under that brand. Great video! Ps. I got a refund on a jacket I ripped on a fence in Edinburgh - worth contacting the contractor!
Cheers Steve - fingers crossed they don’t let it go. And great tip about contacting the contractors. Thanks for that! 👍
@@steve-marsh if truth be told I don’t think Britannia put that furniture in the room it was done under the previous ownership. Having said that Britannia have spent some money on refurbishing the French ballroom and the dining room so maybe they are investing in a property for once.
I enjoyed that. I live in Bradford so have no real reason to stay at the hotel but I have always enjoyed the bars in there and the meals I've had there at work events. I'm glad you had a nice time in my City :)
Thanks for watching, Barry! I enjoyed visiting the city. I think I’ll go back and stay at the Midland next year and check out how the city looks after all the roadworks. 🚧
I attended the opening night after the major refurbishment & it's good to see the hotel going strong.
I booked a room there for a visit to Bradford but the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in us cancelling!
Thanks for watching. 🏨😀
Lived in Bradford all my life never once stepped foot into the Midland Hotel was nice to be able to see the behind the scenes views :) Thank ya
Cheers! Thanks for watching. 😀
I’m so glad you went to the Midland after I recommended it to you some time back. I appreciate Bradford has probably seen better days but with it being my hometown I do have a soft spot for it. If they can do all that for £71 inc breakfast and whilst I accept other cities are more expensive, it just shows you how much these hotels are making by charging in some cases extortionate rates. I’m glad that the Midland hasn’t gone downhill since Britannia took it over because I used to stay there when it was owned by Peel Hotels and I loved it.
Thanks for the recommendation. I really enjoyed my stay. The staff were great! I’ll be interested to see how the city looks next year after they finish all the projects. 🤔
@@RogEdwardsTV by the way you were correct that you’d have seen Magnum and St George’s Hall. The Alhambra is mainly for theatrical productions rather than live bands. The Bradford Live that you featured is the old Odeon cinema which has been renovated into a 3,800 seat concert venue. Sadly it looks like it may never get off the ground because all events that were earmarked have been cancelled and it’s just sitting empty. Architecturally Bradford is still a beautiful city and you can see of its once great and opulent past. They are spending an absolute fortune on the city centre to try and get it ready for its city of culture status. I’m really glad you enjoyed your stay and that it paid off because I was unsure if you were actually going to go.
Just checked - the Magnum concert was 11th December 1985! Crikey!
Also from other comments below, I now realise that the Great Victoria Hotel is also a British Transport Hotel. I totally missed that when I did my research. I could have stayed 2 nights and done both. Still it definitely gives me a reason to go back next year for the City of Culture and to review the other hotel!
🙏🏻
@@RogEdwardsTV absolutely. I nearly mentioned the Victoria Hotel as well. That’s actually next door to St George’s Hall. That was the hotel for the old Bradford Exchange station which is now known as the interchange and the Midland was for Forster Square (pronounced Foster). There are still a few reminders of the old stations but not many. Did you walk down to Foster Square and see the arches? If you require any info on Bradford I’m happy to try and help if I can.
@@James-el2kj Let’s keep in touch. I’ll aim to go back to Bradford next summer to see what they have done for the City of Culture and to review the Great Victoria! Cheers! 😀
I would definitely stay there. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Thanks for watching, Sandra. 🙏🏻
Hi Roger, glad I've found your channel, I'm seeing parts of the UK I've never been.
I rarely drink alcohol but Malbec is a good red wine, £71 for the night was very reasonable too.
Where are you off to next?
Thanks Cathy! For the Railway Hotels - I’m not sure which I’ll do next as they are either very expensive or fully booked. I’ve been trying to book the Inverness hotel for ages. Yesterday I went on a ferry to one of the Scottish Islands. It was such a glorious day it felt like I was in the Caribbean.
Thanks so much for watching. 😀
The minute the name Britannia Hotels is mentioned brings back horrendous memories of the Birmingham hotel near New Street station. How they stay in business is a mystery
It's such a shame because some of the properties are beautiful. They've just let them go...
@ Totally agree, the Birmingham one is a beautiful building, great location, but the brand name is contaminated now, really needs new management and a total branding revamp. They should take a look at what Travelodge have done with the revamps on a lot of their locations.
My mum has told me many times of her visits to eat or stay at the Midland in the 1950’s when it was THE hotel along with the other railway hotel, The Victoria next to the old Exchange station.
Those are great memories, thanks. I need to go back and stay at the Victoria as well. 😀
Great Video, Rog! Not bad value for price at all for the hotel!
In terms of trains, you should definitely try out the Class 333's on the Airedale and Wharfedale Line at some point too that run from Bradford Forster Square to Ilkley, Skipton and Leeds via Shipley.
Thanks Reece. I was surprised the train I went from Leeds to Bradford Interchange on was going to Blackpool North, seemed like a bit of a random destination from there! The day after when I was heading back to York there were trespassers on the line and it took 2 hours to get back to York, with Leeds in utter chaos. Platforms changing every few minutes. In the end I just happened to be on the right platform for a Transpennine Express train that was over a hour late to come alongside and I got on that.☺️
@@RogEdwardsTV Yeah that'll have been a Northern Class 195, which run from York to Blackpool North via Preston. They've installed the ironing board shape seats on those trains and are not the most comfortable.
Yeah there was a lot of disruption in Leeds this week...
Great video again myself and the better half popped in for a drink last year when we stayed in Bradford to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Alhambra Theatre we were impressed how lovely it was after your review if we ever go to Bradford again we may book it the Town Hall is a wonderful lookin building and the theatre's
Thanks very much for watching and for your thoughts. 😀
Brings back memories of going there for dances in the 90’s with my mates. You paid to get in & got pie & peas as well, you had to be quick to get your food.
Thanks for sharing your memories and for watching! 😀
Did you see the side entrance that originally led to the old train station? Next time you visit have a look.
Oh I hadn’t noticed that - thanks for the tip. And thanks for watching. 😀
Hey Rog yeah I share your view, that place looked pretty decent all round, definitely a pleasant surprise when expectations are low. Good value too, the room looked quite spacious! And you probably paid an upgrade for that. One other small thing is I'm insanely fussy with my food to my eternal regret, many say weird coz I'm not a fan of baked beans 😆 so people like me appreciate when they put them in a little pot and they dont go all over everything on the plate 😁 it's the little things you know! I'd probably stay there over trivial things like that, 😄 nice work, man. Always entertaining! 👌
Ha ha! It’s always the little things you remember. And tell people! 😂
@@RogEdwardsTV ain't that a fact 😆though most just think I'm crazy if I tell them I don't like baked beans 😁 well done again though! It's a thumbs up 👍 from me for that establishment 😁
The Midland looked impressive from the outside. The inside was good as well. The cost with breakfast(looked great by the way), very reasonable. Did well to climb to the 3rd floor! Centre of Bradford, impressive as well. Liked the bar/lounge area(the red wine looked ace!). Yes a picture or two, would've made a difference to the room, which was fine. Glasgow still in 1st place! Thanks for sharing, Roger. 🍷😊 👍
Thanks Alan! We might have a contender to usurp Glasgow in the next video! 😀
You mentioned lack of a railway feel. You possibly missed the rear door that has a slope down to what was the old railway station and there are lots of railway bits there. Platform trollys signs etc. that is unless Britannian have got rid of them.
Yeah I definitely missed that, thanks! ☺️
‘Forester Square’, you’d have thought he might have researched the name of the station the hotel is next to, what a plum!
He did research it and he still got it wrong. So he’s a prize plum. Thanks Pro Troll! 😀
@@RogEdwardsTV lol.
The side entrance has the old suitcases & trolleys & old train tracks . Next time have look there
Will do! Thanks so much for watching. 😀
Beautiful building and magnificent entrance and staircase. Sadly, things go downhill upon entering the room. Are you really expected to do your own ironing and make your own coffee and toast. They'll be expecting you to clean your own shoes next!
Ha ha! 😂
Low expectations is IMO the best way to travel and same goes for hotels 😊
That is soooo true!
When I stayed here on a work course I had a top floor turret room and was kept awake by the constant cooing of the pigeons. The hotel had a good location for Bradford city centre though.
I was hoping for a turret room but wouldn’t have liked the pigeons! 😂 Thanks for watching.
That is a decent room for a Britannia hotel as you say a picture on the wall would be good impressive public rooms 🍻
Thanks very much for watching. 😀
Seems it was sold to Britannia Hotels just in last year. Wish they could hold up well over time.
Hope they don't let standards fall.
Crikey, Roger. I never knew there was a railway hotel in Bradford. I must say The Midland hides its light under a bushel !
Cheers, Alex. A hidden gem. I have one more Midland Hotel to visit as part of the series. 😀
And I just found out that there’s a second BTH in Bradford. I missed that when I was doing my research. 😮
Looks very nice place !!! Like most BTH would have been the best in town in those days !!! I worked with people from that hotel in BTH where I worked ,
Thanks for watching!
Looked OK, though might not have been so good if they had been busier! The snag with these Victorian hotels is that whilst they look magnificent, the running & maintenance costs must be enormous, so unless they can pack the place out all the time, its not going to make money, which leads to lowering of standards to save money. For example, the grand public rooms in the dreaded Grand Hotel in Scarborough look fantastic, but get beyond that and the rooms are shoddy, and service awful. This Bradford one seems to be avoiding that fate so far, but can they fill it when they are competing with the likes of Premier Inns and Travelodges, which must be much cheaper to operate?
All good thoughts and thanks for watching. One thing I noticed was the Midland seems to have a reputation for wedding receptions. The Ballroom was simply stunning (though the lights were off so I couldn’t film) and I can see why people would want to celebrate their wedding there! 😀
Pretty amazing for a Britannia Hotel, hope it lasts
Finger's crossed. Thanks for watching!
Great video, I've lost the like button otherwise i would have given you a like. There is also the Great Victoria Hotel which was part of the other Bradford station.
Thanks for watching! I saw the Great Victoria Hotel when I arrived at Bradford Interchange. When I was doing my research, I totally missed the fact there was a second British Transport Hotel in Bradford. That gives me another reason to go back! 😀
Hi Roger that hotel looked brilliant but in fairness a bad company should improve and Britania looks now to be making good progress..... and that breakfast oh that breakfast and here is me not able to eat anything at the moment 😢 4 weeks I've been like this now.... I must be suffering from 5 star Michelin gut syndrome.
Richard in Newcastle upon Tyne 😀
Thanks Richard. That was indeed a well-cooked brekkie! 😀
I like the room but I always hate cushions. Pillows you can tell are clean but the kind of fabric cushions are made of harbour lots of nasties and very doubtful they are taken and cleaned each changeover. Horrible things shouldn’t be in hotel bedrooms.
I usually chuck them into a corner once I’ve done the video shots! 😂 Thanks so much for watching. 🙏🏻
I mean, let’s be honest it was actually really good, and when you actually consider the price, my god that’s really good
Thanks, Walter.
I live in bradford and I'd rather pay triple anywhere else lol
😂
Foster Square ffs
70 pounds for hotel room in Bradford 😂😂😂 holy sxxx. Id have thought 50,,
Ha ha! You’re paying extra for the history! 🤔
It’s Foster square not forester square,named after John Foster mill owner and millionaire,if you had taken the trouble to walk around the corner you’d have seen his statue,get your facts right.
Sorry I got it wrong. Many people have pointed it out already in the comments, but not as aggressively as you. Why so much anger? What do you think of the Midland Hotel?
where your youtube at midday today rog edwards tv?
06:05 White plug socket kinda ruined it for me, Couldn't went with with a chrome one to match the lamp.
Part from that,, it's better than I would from Britannia hotels,, especially with the bathroom.
Thanks for watching. The bathroom was well designed and decorated. 😀
Forster Sq.!😀
☺️
Bradford is a complete dump, you've done well finding positives there 😂
Thanks! They do seem to be trying to spruce it up for next year TBF! 😂