An emotional visit from Barcelona reveals how Rochdale’s Hotel Wellington became a wartime refuge for one Spanish worker, and sparked a family’s lifelong connection to the town
When Xavier Guillamon arrived in Rochdale last summer, he wasn’t just visiting a new town, he was walking in his grandfather’s footsteps, nearly 90 years after he first arrived during the early days of the Spanish Civil War.
Xavier, who lives in Barcelona, had recently discovered an old family diary tucked away in his late father’s house. It belonged to his grandfather, who had travelled to Lancashire in 1936, shortly after the outbreak of civil war in Spain. His writings mention various hotels, including one in Rochdale: the former Hotel Wellington.
“After my grandfather died in the war in 1938, a silence settled over our family,” Xavier told Roch Valley Radio. “But his notes brought everything back. In them, I saw the name ‘Wellington Hotel, Rochdale’. I felt a deep need to go and see the place for myself.”
Xavier’s visit took place in July 2025, exactly 89 years after his grandfather arrived in Rochdale. At the time, the elder Guillamon had been trying to convince his pregnant wife to join him in England, but she had refused to leave Spain. Just months later, he returned to his homeland to meet his newborn son, Xavier’s uncle, and was later conscripted and killed on the front line.
“For years, our family has wondered what might have happened if he had stayed in Lancashire,” said Xavier.
The visit to Rochdale was deeply emotional. Xavier visited the Town Hall, explored the streets his grandfather once walked, and chatted with locals who, he says, welcomed him warmly. “The women at the souvenir shop were so kind,” he recalled. “I told them my story, and it was a very special moment.”
While the original Hotel Wellington building no longer operates as a hotel, the site still carries significance for many residents. Xavier says he will be keeping a close eye on its future.
“There’s a connection between my family and Rochdale that I can’t quite explain, but it’s there,” he said. “Now that I’ve walked where my grandfather walked, I know I’ll be coming back again.”
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