TO Andrew Ogilvie, the ballroom was a football pitch, the stairs were mountains and the lift was a space ship.

But to his uncle, Ken Archer, The Clifton Hotel was a family legacy he was determined to continue expanding as one of the leading establishments in the increasingly popular resort of Southport.

The Clifton had been founded in 1895 by Ken’s great grandmother, Elizabeth Archer who was one of seemingly many strong-willed Victorian matriarchs.

Starting life as a temperance hotel, the popularity of Elizabeth Archer’s afternoon teas – then a rarified delicacy – saw the Clifton grow and absorb adjoining Promenade properties from a humble two-bedroom beginning.

Ken, 81, said: “She made afternoon tea a feature, particularly in those days when it was very much more important than it is now.

“She would stress that it brought a lot of trade in and was quite fashionable at the time.�

Another pivotal decision Elizabeth Archer made was to order the construction of the ballroom, which opened on Boxing Day, 1935 and shares the same architect – and art deco windows – as the Floral Hall across the road.

As war started, the hotel was commandeered by British forces and Mrs Archer found herself moving out to Birkdale, where she opened a small boarding house and had the business nous to take her residents with her.

Ken, on the other hand, was in the Royal Air Force and forced to spend the last two-and-a-half years of his service in hospital after injury.

Once fit, he returned with grand plans for the hotel.

Ken, who now lives in Cumbria, said: “I came out in 1947, and gradually took over.

“The place had been totally unlicensed until that time because Elizabeth didn’t approve of alcohol.

“I had to get a licence and Southport had at that time not given a full licence in about 50 years.

“So I got a QC who specialised in hotels and bars and we got it granted.

“That led to loads of functions, and eventually the bar.�

The opening of the bar in 1959 was a break with the past and Ken soon realised that customers wanted more than just a bed for the night.

He said: “We started sports and entertainment for people staying here, and had tennis courts and a croquet lawn.

“It was really the beginning of the drive to provide attractions.�

And soon Ken had the thought which must be the holy grail for all hoteliers.

He said: “I remember coming down the lift and thinking, the dining room’s full, the bedrooms are full, the ballroom’s full – it’s working, it’s real.�

During this time, Ken and his family were living in the top floor of the building, along with nephew Andrew and his family.

Andrew, now 55, said: “I was born in the building and lived here until I was 23, with my brothers, sisters and cousins.

“The lift was a spaceship for us and we’d cycle along the corridors and play football in the ballroom.

“Uncle didn’t quite understand how the glass chandeliers kept getting broken!�

In January 1977, The Clifton amalgamated with The Royal next door, formerly owned by the Prince of Wales Hotel, to become Southport’s largest hotel.

And in 1984, Tim Timmerman, managing director of Southport’s oldest bakery, Mellors, took possession of the building and continues to operate the 111 bedrooms and suites to this day.

FOR A young Andrew Ogilvie, the hotel’s proximity to the Floral Hall further along The Promenade provided a rare glimpse of the up and coming rock ‘n’ roll culture.

He said: “In 1964, I got The Rolling Stones’ autographs, but when my mother came in she just stared at them in shock and said they looked as if they’d just been beating people up!
"We had The Who here too, and I asked Pete Townshend why they smashed all the gear up in hotel rooms and he said, ‘well, we get tax relief’!�

• Post to:
•  del.icio.us
•  Digg
•  Newsvine
•  Nowpublic
•  Reddit