About Our History
The Sandringham Hotel was built in the 1880’s. Previously known as the Black Lion, it is a landmark in Cardiff’s St Mary Street. The famous stone lion on top of the building is a great reminder of that era.
The Dutton Family owned the Hotel since 1989. Mr Eric Dutton MBE, a well known figure in the capital, had served as president of Cardiff Chamber of Commerce and was a former chairman of Cardiff Initiative. He was also the first-ever patron of the Cardiff Hoteliers’ Association. In 2003, Mr Dutton was awarded an MBE for over fifty years of loyal voluntary service to the community in Cardiff. Sadly Eric passed away in November 2018 but the hotel is still run by his son Simon and his daughter in law Alison.
The Hotel became the mecca for live jazz performances in Cardiff. This innovation resulted from the sale of the premises that housed Cardiffs’ famous Four Bars Inn.
In November 1995 the Four Bars Inn at SANDYS was opened. Since that day, the Hotel bar and restaurant, which later traded as CAFÉ JAZZ, had played host to a multitude of fine musicians from across the globe and of course the UK. It also provided a platform for local musicians and students from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Sadly due to the COVID pandemic we had to close CAFÉ JAZZ and we now lease the restaurant and bar out to a different company.
The hotel team raised money for an on site defibrillator and help other charities which greatly benefits the local community.
The hotel has a 95% yearly room occupancy and continues to offer an alternative to chain hotels in the heart of Cardiff.
