Forget hard plastic seats and drafty automatic doors – a waiting room more first-class lounge than platform pit stop has launched in York. Just steps from the city’s iconic railway station, The Swollen Gambler bar at the adjoining The Milner York hotel raises a glass to the golden age of train travel as the UK celebrates 200 years of the railway.
With plush seating, a warm welcome, expertly mixed cocktails and a menu of fine Yorkshire fare, this waiting room offers a place of refuge where a delayed train feels like a treat.
The Swollen Gambler is located just opposite the train’s main entrance at the historic The Milner York, which is no stranger to railway heritage. Originally opened in 1878 as the Royal Station Hotel, the Grade II listed building was designed by William Peachey of the North Eastern Railway to serve railway passengers.
Cities competed to build the grandest train stations when the railway launched in 1825, with York Station considered to be among the most impressive with its ironwork architecture and majestic ceilings, hosting royalty in its purpose-built private Royal Waiting Room. Train travel in the 1800’s was the ultimate luxury, with passengers expecting porters, luggage services and waiting rooms that provided ultimate comforts. This is a tradition that The Swollen Gambler is proudly reviving with extra flair, local beers and modern cocktails, allowing modern travellers the same luxury experience when waiting for a train.
“The Swollen Gambler is a nod to our appreciation of the history of the UK’s bygone railway golden era,” said The Milner’s general manager Andy Barnsdale. “We’re bringing a piece of that grandeur back to the modern railway traveller – why should waiting for a train be an unpleasant or boring experience when you can mingle in the UK’s poshest waiting room!”
