Hotel that hosted famous names could become flats

Plans to turn an historic former hotel, which has hosted Charles Dickens, King George II, Admiral Lord Nelson and The Beatles, into flats would help rejuvenate a town centre, a property developer said.

John Howard, who purchased the Great White Horse Hotel on the corner of Tavern and Northgate streets in Ipswich, has lodged plans to convert the Grade II* listed building.

The planning application is for 21 flats, a rooftop garden and three shops on the ground floor. Howard told the BBC tenants for two of the shops had been found.

Ipswich Borough Council is due to discuss the plans at a meeting on Wednesday, with planning officers recommending they are approved.

The hotel was once known as the town's main lodging house and was said to have inspired Charles Dickens' Pickwick Papers.

The building was open as a hotel as recently as 2024, but appeared to close at short notice.

The street-facing part of the building was previously home to a major cafe chain and outdoor equipment shop, but the units have been empty for more than five years.

Howard said he believed high streets and town centres needed to evolve, and having more people living in them was a positive move.

"I think we need less shops because we've probably got a glut of shops and, you know, not so many people want to shop in town centres, but there's other things you can do in town centres," he said.

He believed more people living near the High Street would mean they would spend more money in Ipswich.

Howard added that he had explored keeping the site as a working hotel - but despite a hotel group being interested in taking it on, he believed a large grant would be needed to complete the renovation.

As the building was listed, Howard said much of the external facade would stay the same, including the sign.

Historic England added the building to the at-risk register in 2023.

He said the hotel was in "very, very poor condition", and work would start first to make the roof and windows watertight.

He said he expected the flats would be sold to residents, rather than rented.

Howard told the BBC an agreement had been reached with a sushi shop and a virtual reality attraction to take on two of the street-facing shops.

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