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A board in the bar says that it was originally commissioned in 1839 by George Hudson* to be the best First Class lounge of any station in the world. John Dobson, the prominent architect in the North East who built Newcastle Central Station Link , also designed this interior, which is decorated with Burmantofts tiles Link . The lounge closed in the 1960s and the British Transport Police used it as holding cells. Despite the building being Grade I listed Link British Rail destroyed part of the structure, and painted over the titles. The building was acquired by a private owner in 2000 and painstakingly restored to its former glory.

* George Hudson (1800 – 1871) was a railway financier and politician who, because he controlled a significant part of the railway network in the 1840s, became known as "The Railway King". He played a significant role in linking London to Edinburgh by rail. For further info see the Wiki entry Link .