The Kimpton Clocktower Tour
Johnny James, Managing Editor
Explore the incredible history behind one of Britain’s grandest and most storied commercial buildings: Manchester’s Grade II listed Kimpton Clocktower Hotel.
Led by a specialist guide, you’ll unlock the secrets of this unique building, being granted exclusive access to hidden spaces full of original features including glorious terracotta, faience, marble and glazed brick.
These features speak to the building’s unique role in the city’s history. Constructed in stages between 1891 and 1932, the building first opened as The Refuge Assurance Company headquarters, whose boardroom, banking hall, and underground vaults you’ll get to see (and photograph) while your guide paints pictures of their past lives.
You’ll also hear plenty of stories about the people who have worked within this monumental construction, whose multiple incarnations have birthed some incredible tales.
Through painstaking renovation and restoration, the building was transformed into the luxury hotel we know today, encompassing 271 bedrooms and suites, a ballroom and 16 other private dining and event spaces. Not to mention the vast Refuge Public Bar & Dining Room by Volta and the three-metre-tall bronze horse by artist Sophie Dickens, which stands in the lobby.
The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel remains a truly remarkable building that deserves to be explored properly, and that’s precisely what this tour allows you to do – with entertainment, information and humour guaranteed
