2023 marks 60 years since Holdsworth House Hotel & Restaurant in Halifax first opened its doors to the public, after 330 years as a private residence.
Help us celebrate with a host of offers, events and activities:
Diamond Anniversary Afternoon Tea avalable until 10th June 2023
Coming Soon...
Art Competition with guest judge Sally Wainwright MBE
Guest memories and photos shared on our Facebook and Instagram pages
Christmas Carols in the Courtyard
60 YEARS AS A FAMILY BUSINESS
Built in 1633, Holdsworth House has seen only a handful of owners including, the Pearson family who purchased it in an auction in 1962. Freddie and Rita Pearson from Halifax opened the Jacobean manor to the public on 11th April 1963 as the Cavalier Country Club – a private member’s hangout hugely popular as a partying, dining and gambling venue. Today, it is known once again as Holdsworth House, and it remains in the same family as an independent four-star hotel.
In the 1960s, the Pearsons counted The Beatles, Jayne Mansfield and Rudolf Nureyev amongst the famous guests that stayed. More recently, the hotel has found fame because of screenwriter and director Sally Wainwright MBE, who featured it in her creations Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax. With an abundance of filming happening in the area, Holdsworth House has benefited from countless famous faces of TV and film staying, including James Norton, Suranne Jones, Melvyn Bragg, and Sir Derek Jacobi.
Third-generation hotel director Nick Moss said, “To have survived 60 years as a family business in the hospitality industry is a great achievement, but to do so as a market leader is another. We’ve managed to adapt our business according to changing market demands and today we employ over 50 people, although we’ve probably employed some 3000 people in the last 60 years! We’re incredibly grateful that our team feels like part of the family, with some today reaching over 30 years of service.
“Undoubtedly, my grandfather Freddie Pearson was a canny businessman and he saw mileage in replicating in Halifax the 1960s social scene of London. Now, we’re a 32-bed hotel and we’re still welcoming people through the doors to celebrate as one of Yorkshire’s most popular wedding and private dining venues. Moreover, we now have a large following of guests who join us for short breaks and to enjoy the history, the gardens and the attractions on the doorstep. I truly believe, that maintaining a commitment to quality and service at our core is what makes us stand out. Here’s to the next 60 years!”
