Ten Square Hotel occupies three inter-connected buildings at the corner of Donegal Square South and Linenhall Street – Yorkshire House, Lancashire House and Scottish Amicable House.

Yorkshire House (Ten Square Hotel)

The building was designed by Thomas Jackson in 1861 for Daniel Jaffe of Jaffe Brothers Linen Manufacturers & Merchants. Construction work completed in December 1862 and the building opened early in 1863. Jaffe Bros. operated from the building until at least 1930 when Yorkshire Insurance Company purchased the building and began letting out offices across the upper floors to other businesses, and a Crown Post Office opened at ground floor. In the previous year, 1929, the building was altered by Architect Robert H. Gibson and F.B. McKee & Co. Contractors for Yorkshire Insurance Company.

The building is well known for it’s decorative stone carvings, thought to be carved by Thomas Fitzpatrick. At Linenhall Street there is (L – R): Michelangelo, Columbus, Washington, Mercury, Minerva, Shakespeare, Schiller and Homer. At Donegall Square South there is (L – R): Newton, Humboldt, Jacquard, Peace, Flora, Stevenson, Moore and Watt.

The building continued in use as offices for multiple companies with ground floor commercial units until the late 20th century.

Yorkshire House was B1 listed (HB26/30/013) in March 1982.

Planning applications (Z/1998/2290 & Z/1998/2291) submitted in April 1998 and approved in July of the same year permitted the conversion of the building to hotel use, including refurbishment and extension of the ground, 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors.

Construction works to convert the building to hotel use, including the addition of a fourth floor, commenced in 1999 and the Ten Square hotel opened in September 2001.

The hotel was sold by Mssrs. N. & P. Hill to Mr. J. Miskelly for a reported £10m during summer 2008.

A planning application (Z/2009/0121/F) submitted in January 2009 by Mr. J. Miskelly and CMG Planning proposed to demolish 11 Donegall Square (Scottish Amicable House) and 5 Linenhall Street (Lancashire House) and develop a nine-storey hotel (6 storeys to Donegall Square South and 9 storeys to Linenhall Street). The application included a proposed refurbishment and connection through to 10 Donegall Square South to accommodate 108 hotel bedrooms, penthouse hotel suite, health club, function rooms, bars and restaurants and ancillary support accommodation. The application was approved in December 2010. The proposed works were not progressed.

Ernst & Young were appointed administrators of Yorkshire House Ltd, which traded as Ten Square Hotel, on 20 January 2015. Dalata Hotel Group were appointed operators of the hotel during the administration period. The hotel was purchased out of administration by Kilmona Holdings in August 2015 for a figure reported to be approximately £6m and included the two adjoining buildings (Lancashire House and Scottish Amicable House).

Kilmona Property submitted a series of planning applications during 2015 and 2016 proposing to convert the adjacent vacant office buildings to provide additional hotel bedrooms connected to the original Ten Square Hotel.

MSM Contracts commenced construction of the first phase extension in May 2016 and completed work on the second phase during early 2018.

The extended hotel complex comprises 144 bedrooms and is operated by Loughview Leisure Group.

Phase 1 extension (former Lancashire House)

Lancashire House was an eight-storey office building built 1956 – 1959. The building was designed by RH Gibson & ED Taylor Architects for Yorkshire Assurance Co. Ltd and was built by F.B. McKee. The building was built as an extension to Yorkshire House (Ten Square hotel) at the corner of Linenhall Street and James Street South.

Kilmona Holdings and Coogan & Co Architects submitted a planning application (LA04/2015/1152/F) in October 2015 proposing to convert the building to provide additional hotel bedrooms for the adjacent Ten Square Hotel.

MSM Contracts commenced construction on the £4m conversion of Lancashire House in May 2016. Works completed in phases during December 2016 – January 2017. The extension comprises 55no. bedrooms and the Linenhall Business Centre.

Phase 2 extension (former Scottish Amicable House)

Scottish Amicable House was a six-storey office building (c.51,000ft2) built in the 1970s for the Scottish Amicable Life Assurance Society. The building was designed by Hobart & Heron Architects and built by McLaughlin & Harvey.

Kilmona Property Ltd and Coogan & Co Architects submitted a planning application (LA04/2016/0098/F) in December 2015 proposing to convert the building to provide additional hotel bedrooms for the adjacent Ten Square Hotel.

MSM Contracts commenced construction during late 2016. Works completed in phases during December 2017 – January 2018. The extension comprises 66no. bedrooms, The Loft rooftop bar, gym and ground floor burrito bar.

Phase 3 extension