A North Lancashire hotel’s cultural links with Portugal and the production of the country’s renowned Port wines has been brought alive through the modern refurbishment of its bar and lounge.

Lancaster House Hotel has completed the renovation of its Sandeman Bar with a contemporary upgrade which gives a nod to its connections with the House of Sandeman from which it draws its name.

The new look for the bar has been inspired by Tammy Barwell, the restaurant and bars manager at the venue, who embarked on a fact finding mission to Porto arranged by the House of Sandeman.

Tammy returned from Portugal with the idea to showcase the Sandeman Bar with colour schemes to match the company’s history, as well as new artwork and images featuring the Sandeman Cellars to elevate the look and feel of the bar. It was also Tammy’s idea to introduce a timeline graphic of the history of the company dating back to 1790.

The refurbishment of the hotel bar includes an array of contemporary artwork and decoration in bold colours, upholstered chairs and tables, new curtains and wallpaper. Another feature is the Sandeman branded barrel with a plaque explaining how the company was the first to brand a cask of Port in 1805.

The hotel became inextricably linked with the world-famous Portuguese sherry and port wine producers due to a chance meeting on a continental flight in the early 1990s.

When the hotel first opened, its hospitality team were searching for a suitable name and theme for the main bar area. A conversation between an English Lakes Hotels board member and a Sandeman executive proved inspirational, with the result that the Sandeman Bar was named and themed after the port producer.

Tammy explains:

“The close links between the House of Sandeman and Lancaster House Hotel have their roots from a Spanish holiday over 30 years ago. English Lakes Hotels was closing in on the completion of its new hotel in Lancaster, but there was a quandary about what to call the main bar at the venue."

“Whilst returning home from Jerez, the hotel group’s operations director Douglas Dale struck up a conversation on the plane with a fellow passenger who was very interested to hear about the new hotel venture. That was David Sandeman, the managing director of the House of Sandeman at the time."

“The pair got on so well that Douglas tabled the idea of naming the bar after the Portuguese wine company and theming it accordingly. David graciously accepted the offer to come and open ‘The Sandeman Bar’, bringing with him various items of company memorabilia that are still on display here today.”

The partnership has endured and flourished for over 30 years, with a feature of the hotel bar being its Port and cheese nights and stocks of Sandeman Port sweet red wines, including Ruby, White, and Tawny Ports.

These are all produced from grapes grown in the vineyards of the Douro Valley in Portugal. The nearby city of Porto is renowned for its historical commercialisation and bulk transportation of fortified port wines in the 17th century – hence the eponymous link.

Tammy adds:

“My trip to Portugal was a wonderful opportunity to discover more about the grapes, valleys, Ports, and vineyards of the area, as well as immersing myself in the history of the House of Sandeman."

“Experiencing their traditions first-hand made a lasting impression on me, and it shaped the vision for our new bar design. I wanted to create a space to celebrate that craftsmanship and invite guests to enjoy its character and charm in a relaxed, welcoming setting. I’m thrilled to have been so closely involved in this thematic refurbishment of our main bar at the hotel.”