Bettys' toilets to get glamorous refurb & baby-change area

Bettys cafe and tearooms in St Helen's Square wants to give a luxury upgrade to its upstairs Belmont Room toilets.

Under plans before City of York Council, cafe owners say the plan is to "sympathetically bring new life and glamour back to the toilets, to create a special experience for Bettys customers".

The proposals will divide the existing gents customers toilets to create two separated rooms while adding an extra cubicle to the female toilets.

A new baby-change room will be created too that will include a toilet, a handwash basin and changing unit.

No structural alterations will be necessary for the building which is Grade-II listed.

The new toilets will be inspired by the existing interiors of the Belmont Suite, which were created in the 1930s to great expense and modelled on the Art Deco splendour of the Queen Mary ocean liner. Frederick and his wife had enjoyed a voyage on the luxury liner and wanted to recreate its look at the new flagship cafe in York.

Archive photo of the Belmont Room in Bettys of York (Image: Newsquest)

Frederick spent £30,000 - the equivalent of approximately £1.8 million today - and employed Trollope & Sons Ltd., the same decorators who had worked on the Queen Mary, to turn what had been a former furniture store into York Bettys.

The Belmont Room was originally the main café restaurant of Bettys' York branch. Its most striking features include the etched glass panels depicting exotic trees and mountains, the intricate brass grilles on the glass doors and sumptuous walnut panelling on the walls. At one end of the room is a marquetry panel depicting geese flying across a lake, which was a replica of a piece that hung in one of the staterooms aboard the Queen Mary.

The planning application to the council says the new toilets will be designed in a sympathetic manner, taking inspiration from the Belmont's 1930's heritage.

Features will include:

• Decorated joinery.

• Stone

• Polished stone flooring

• Vanity units with decorated panelled joinery and marble top

• Decorative wall paper

• Decorative wall lights

• Antique nickel ironmongery and decorative mirror frames.

Belmont Room - history

1959 - The room was named in memory of the cafe’s founder.

1960s and 1970s - Became the Belmont Self-Service Restaurant in response to the changing needs of customers, chiefly catering for nearby office workers.

1983 and 1984 - As the rest of the branch was remodelled the Belmont Room was closed to the public and used as a storeroom, training space and staff area.

1997 - The Belmont Room was restored to its former Art Deco glory and reopened to customers as a venue for private events and parties.

2001 - The Belmont Room was opened to cafe customers on weekends.

2012 - A new bookable Afternoon Tea was launched in the Belmont Room.

To read the full planning application (ref: 22/01898/LBC) click here or visit: https://planningaccess.york.gov.uk