The Shankly Hotel Preston unveils new themed restaurant The Carriage
Christopher William Shankly Carline the Grandson of the legendary Liverpool FC football manager and former Preston North End player Bill Shankly OBE has today revealed the name of the themed restaurant for the £15M Shankly Hotel Preston which is due to open in June next year.
Carline, the co owner of the Shankly Hotel Liverpool and the Shankly Hotel Preston launched a campaign on social media inviting the people of Preston to come forward with their suggestions to name the new restaurant as well as stories and memories of his Grandfather’s playing career at Preston. Carline was inundated with responses from the public and Preston North End fans. The name for the Shankly Hotel restaurant will be “THE CARRIAGE” which will become the centre piece to the new hotel.
The concept behind “The Carriage” stems back to 1933 when Bill Shankly OBE physically signed his contract for Preston North End whilst travelling in a first class rail carriage between Carlisle and Preston. Preston’s long standing heritage with the railways and being a travel hub between the North and the South was also an important factor when considering the theme to the restaurant.
The interior of the restaurant will be themed around a 1930’s First Class rail carriage combining rich and luxurious furnishings. Oak wooden features, ornamental gilt mirrors, lavish rugs and soft furnishings mixed with traditional Chesterfield style seating will give a nod to the elegant and opulent art deco style of the period.
The interior of “The Carriage” will be warm and inviting, very much family focussed, something which Bill Shankly was renowned for. Family meals in the Shankly household were legendary, as was the incredible hospitality provided by Bill and Agnes “Nessie” Shankly. “Nessie” as she was affectionally known as, would regularly invite fans into their house for afternoon tea, sandwiches and cakes. Nessie’s tea, was a particular favourite with the fans as both Bill and Nessie’s favourite brand was “Yerbhama” a sweet strong blend of tea leaves imported from Brazil.
Such hospitality would never happen with todays modern generation of footballers and managers. “The Carriage” will aim to convey the same level and standards of hospitality for which Bill and Nessie were renowned for. It’s menu will be very much aimed around traditional British comfort food with a number of special delicacies with a nod to Shankly’s Scottish, Liverpudlian and Lancastrian roots.
Commenting on the new restaurant name Christopher William Shankly Carline said;
“Following a campaign on social media we engaged with the great people of Preston and football fans to come up with a series of names for the restaurant. There were lots of suggestions and variations of ideas which were all brilliant and we could have used a number of ideas from the No 4 shirt my grandad wore to the year he signed for Preston in 1933.
We felt the name “The Carriage” was the most fitting for a number of reasons. My Grandfather signed his football contract with Preston North End whilst travelling in a first class carriage between Carlisle and Preston. It was very fitting to use the name of “The Carriage” as this is where his journey to Preston began. Travel has been a big part of my Grandfathers life and something he loved to do, so we thought this was a natural name for the restaurant. Preston has also had a long history of rail travel and the railways dating back to the 18th Century and so it felt fitting that this should all be connected into the wider theme for the restaurant and the hotel
The former Grade II listed post office building which is 114 years old will be transformed into a luxurious 65 room boutique hotel breathing new life into this iconic building. The Shankly hotel will be modelled on similar lines to the Liverpool hotel which will feature Shankly memorabilia complete with photographs and nostalgia connected to his time at Preston North End. In addition to this an entire collection of memorabilia belonging to the family of Sir Tom Finney CBE will also be on display at the hotel. The Shankly Preston recently announced its collaboration with the Finney family and the National Football Museum who will both loan unique items of memorabilia to the project.
Carline continued;
“Everything we have done with the Shankly Hotel Liverpool is based around the themes and stories connected to my Grandfather and specifically his time at Liverpool. The Shankly Hotel Preston will be about his life and career as a player at Preston; every aspect of the hotel will have stories, themes anecdotes and memorabilia all tied into this period in his life including his friendship and playing career with Sir Tom Finney CBE.”
The Shankly Hotel Preston is due to open to the public in June 2019, it will also be home to a unique collection of football memorabilia from the late Sir Tom Finney and Bill Shankly OBE.