FORMER railway managers have been back to their old office building to witness its transformation into York’s first five-star luxury hotel.

The Cedar Court Grand, which opened earlier this month, invited former staff to pay return visits to the Grade II listed building in Station Rise where they used to work.

Among them was Frank Paterson, who was general manager of the old British Rail Eastern Region between 1978 and 1986, when it was based there and employed 48,000 people across the country.

To his astonishment and delight, he discovered that a meeting room at the Grand has been named the Paterson Suite after him, with others named after Victorian railway legends such as George Leeman.

Mr Paterson spoke of his amazement at the high standard of the restoration work, which had brought the building back to its best.

He revealed the building’s role in key developments on the railways in the 20th century, saying staff there had administered the introduction of the 125 high-speed trains to the East Coast Mainline in the 1970s and the electrification of the route in the 1980s.

His predecessor Geoffrey Myers was another of the managers to visit the £20 million hotel yesterday, who was also impressed by the standard of the revamp.

Mr Paterson revealed how Mr Myers had been in charge when a major clean-up of the exterior stonework had been carried out in the 1970s, removing decades of York grime.

Andrew Coney, hotel general manager, said several groups had now been on tours of the building, including parties of York Civic Trust members. He said any former railway workers would be welcome to return to have a look round, and should just contact the concierge to make arrangements.