As well as investing in a complete renovation of our historic hotel, a comprehensive rebranding project has also taken place to match the ambitious and transformative refurbishment.
The hotel, which has been closed since March for the extensive improvement works, will reopen this summer. In advance of the reopening, we are excited to reveal the first logos and designs from our innovative rebranding project.
The rebranding work was spearheaded by Peta Nash from Nash Design, in conjunction with renowned illustrator Chris Mitchell (who has been instrumental in many iconic designs for world-famous brands).
In order to complement the physical transformation of the hotel, we have created new names and identities for the bars, the restaurant and the various meeting and function spaces. In this first reveal of the new branding, we have provided some insight into the main hotel identity, alongside the Colonnade Cocktail Lounge, the new Gibson Club Bar and Antlers Restaurant.
White Hart Hotel logo: To reflect the hotel’s historic name and heritage, an iconic new hart has been designed by Chris Mitchell in a stylish, contemporary, and confident style. Representing the tapestry of the building, from the new layout and décor, as well as nodding back to the heritage of the exterior Bailgate clock where a small White Hart statue still stands, it was felt this was a suitably elegant representation for the hotel’s future.
The new branding colours reflect the both the Lincolnshire green, but also the purple heather and the rich green landscapes that are the natural habitat for wild deer.
Antlers Restaurant: Formerly known as ‘grille’, the restaurant will be undergoing a major refurbishment, to reflect the quality and elegance of the White Hart rebranding and repositioning.
This branding shows a distinctive, stylised ‘W’ along with another iconic Chris Mitchell hart design, nodding back to the main White Hart logo. This will create a brand distinction between the hotel and the restaurant, while feeling familiar and under the same brand umbrella.
The Colonnade Cocktail Lounge: Formerly known as the Lounge Bar, this new name and branding reflect the Roman history of Lincoln and the iconic Colonnades which once stood on Bailgate. Known in Roman times as Lindum Colonia, Lincoln was first founded as a settlement by the Romans in about AD 50, when a ‘coloni’, which is a rest building for soldiers, was established on top of what is now Steep Hill, where the castle now stands and close to the hotel.
As you follow Bailgate from Castle Hill to the Newport Arch, you are walking along the Roman Colonnade with the Forum to your left. If you look on the ground along the road you will see circular stone setts. These show the position of a row of 19 columns stretching 84 metres that made up the front and main entrance to the Roman Forum, forming a portico. The branding for the Colonnade Cocktail Lounge reflects this history, showing the columns and nodding to a distinct Roman past. The design shows the columns in a clear, stylised way and signifies the elegance within the new cocktail lounge bar.
Gibson Club Bar: The newly created Gibson Club Bar has been inspired by the famous 617 Dambusters Squadron, which was active during World War II. Operation Chastise, which is more commonly known as the Dambusters Raid was an attack on strategically placed German dams carried out on the night of 16/17 May 1943 by the 617 Squadron RAF Bomber Command.
This squadron was later nicknamed the Dambusters. The name of the bar is a tribute to Guy Gibson, the Commanding Officer of the squadron, who completed more than 170 war operations before dying in action at the age of 26.
The logo for the bar shows four iconic aircraft including the Lancaster bomber which was flown by 617 Squadron. The other aircraft are two Spitfires and a Hurricane. This is also a respectful nod to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF), which is based in nearby RAF Coningsby and seeks to preserve aviation heritage in airworthy condition. The BBMF currently has a number of aircraft that it maintains and flies on significant events.
