Sahara Red

Sahara Red

Sahara Red / The Colours of the Sun (Shorter) / Le Cheval Blanc (Slower) / Karen in the Dunes (Shorter) / Soft Geometry (Shorter) / Sahara Red (Quieter)

https://auguststars.bandcamp.com/album/sahara-red

August Stars and Still Crescent physical releases available.

I stumbled across a box of unsold August Stars and Still Crescent CDs. If you would like a physical copy, these are now available to buy via Bandcamp.

August Stars: original 2006 CDr release of Music for Twilight (MMM019) (25 copies available) and promotional copies of Invisible in the Dusk (MMM028) (5 copies) are available here: https://auguststars.bandcamp.com/merch

Still Crescent: original five-track sophomore CDr release on Make Mine Music of Along the Fringe of Starlit Frost (MMM044) (20 copies available) is here: https://stillcrescent.bandcamp.com/album/along-the-fringe-of-starlit-frost

Further Hallam Tower Hotel pictures

As my Hallam Tower blog is receiving a lot of visits, here are some images which are scattered across my tumblr all in one place.

John Worsley's impression of the hotel c. 1964.

c. 1965

Advertisement for the Ford Galaxie 500 outside the Hallam Tower Hotel c. April 1965.

c. 1967

c. 1970

Screencaps from the 1971 promotional film Sheffield… City on the move. This scene features the Hallam Tower Hotel and two Swedish tourists “…following, in modern manner, the path of their viking ancestors”.

c. 1974

Hallam Tower Post House Hotel c. 1986

April 2011

Let's Halt Awhile, Hallam Tower and Grosvenor House Hotels

The following photograph and text are taken from Ashley Courtenay's Let's Halt Awhile (34th Edition, 1967).

Sheffield, Yorkshire—Grosvenor House Hotel and Hallam Tower. These two imposing blocks occupy magnificent sites; the former in the city centre, the other high up on the outskirts of Sheffield. Both complement each other in that they provide accommodation with different characteristics: for example, Grosvenor House has several suites with fine views over the city and larger facilities for banqueting, while Hallam Towers has the advantage of an open situation on the way out to Dovedale.

Both hotels, however, offer a wide choice for the businessman who wishes to stay in Sheffield and for organisers of local functions and conferences. There are banqueting suites in both, with full conference facilities, and, in addition, Grosvenor House has smaller rooms available for private lunch and dinner parties.

Apart from the business aspect, though, these hotels are ideal centres for the weekend motorist: the Peak District and the Yorkshire Moors are easily reached on daily excursions. Many of these visitors will appreciate the Sheffield Plate—a quick-service buttery—at the Hallam Tower and the £1 a day tariff reduction at weekends.

Whatever your tastes or your pocket, either Grosvenor House or the Hallam Tower will provide you with accommodation, food and service to suit. (See Map X.) (See illustration p. 103.)

GROSVENOR HOUSE: F.Lic. Apartments: 99/6. Bk. 61— to 10/6. L. from 23/—. A.T. 51— D. from 28/6. 10 %S. Rms: 62 dbl. 42 sgl. (c.h.). Priv. Bath: 104. Lt. G. T.V. Tel. (OSH2) 20041.

HALLAM TOWER: F.Lic. Apartments 84/—. Bk. 51— to 8/6. L. from 15/6. D. from 18/6. 10%S. Rms: 68 dbl. 68 sgl. (c.h.). Priv. Bath: 136. Lt. T.V. Tel. (OSH2) 66031.

London 160. Chesterfield 12. Doncaster 18. Leeds 33. Manchester 38.

Hallam Tower Hotel, Sheffield

The five diamond Hallam Tower Hotel was constructed between 1963 and 1965 costing one million pound. It opened officially on 24th March 1965 and was the first luxury hotel to be built in the north of England since the Second World War. The chief architect was Nelson Foley of Trust House Architectural Department.

The exterior was designed to complement Sheffield’s post-war modernist developments; the interior by Colefax and Fowler of Mayfair offered “warm, gay colours” to contrast with “the black and grey tones of the city” and the first-class conference facilities supported the city’s bid to become a conference centre.

The following snippets of text are taken from the original Press Release (16th March 1965).

Entrance Lounge 'Sunny yellow stairwell. Bright green carpet'

Vulcan Room Restaurant 'Tones of orange, yellow, pale wrapping paper brown and sour green, the walls yellow the carpet green.'

Downstairs Bar 'A dark intimate room with a club-like atmosphere enlivened by turquoise blue upholstery. Dark lincrusta walls. 18th century Horgarth engravings. Silver Trimmings.'

Sheffield Plate Grill 'Here the open plan ends and a completely contrasting colour rendering is achieved by use of pink, red, black and white. The wall decorations consist of a series of Sheffield trade signs, none of them later than 1910 and most of them mid-19th century.'

(All paintings by John Worsley c. 1964.)