Hotel | The History of Wrea Head Hotel
The History of Wrea Head Country House
The Wrea Head Country House was built in 1881 and even to this day still retains many of its original features such as oak paneled halls and inglenook fireplaces.
In architectural terms, this Scarborough hotel may be considered a relative youngster having been built in 1881. However, thanks to its tall chimneys, beautiful architecture and creeper-covered walls, the hotel conveys a feeling that it’s been around for far longer.
Wrea Head was originally a family home, built for John Edward Ellis, after whom the Ellis Cocktail Lounge & Bar is named. Ellis was a Liberal MP and Quaker, from Leicestershire – the grandson of John Ellis MP, Chairman of the Midland Railway, whose portrait hangs in the National Railway Museum in York. He lived here with his wife, Maria Rowntree, and their five children until 1950, when Wrea Head became a college for adult education.
Wrea Head became a hotel in the 1970s, although it still retains the character and individuality of a large country home.
