Details
WEYMOUTH
SY6779SE ESPLANADE
873-1/20/149 (West side)
12/12/53 No.85
Gloucester Lodge, with The Cork and
Bottle Public House
(Formerly Listed as:
ESPLANADE
No.85
The Gloucester Hotel, Gloucester Row)
GV II*
Formerly known as: Gloucester Lodge GLOUCESTER ROW.
House, later hotel, now apartments and public house. c1780,
major extension to S c1850, interior destroyed by fire and
remodelled 1927. Flemish bond brickwork with limestone
dressings, slate roofs.
PLAN: building is in 2 distinct units, which are described
separately, although constituting one property. The mid C19
block returns to Gloucester Street, and has 6 windows to the
front, but 4+3 to the rear, the end 3 bays being of greater
depth than the remainder; the whole has a double mansard roof
with central valley.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys, attic and basement. The Esplanade front
has six 2-light dormers with segmental roofs over lunette
glazing, with haunched pilasters to the cheeks. First and
second floor sashes have stone surrounds; at second floor
these are plat band, with a panelled stone apron linking to
the cornices above moulded architraves to first-floor deep
sashes to a moulded sill band and small individual cast-iron
balconies. Ground floor has a deep projecting balcony with
near-flat roof in 7 large square bays (partly covering the
adjoining range), on square pilasters, and each with 4
vertical panes. The main wall plane has lofty segmental-headed
sashes in painted surrounds and with keystones; bays 1 & 4
have small-pane paired French doors under small-pane transom
lights.
The verandah is carried on cast-iron columns and brackets to
the basement, and the main wall has various doors and windows;
this level is occupied by the Cork and Bottle public house. A
slight plinth, and a deep stone cornice on brackets.
Return to Gloucester Street has single central sash at each
level, with dressings, and to the left a deep square
flat-roofed portico with a panelled door under decorative
fanlight in an arch with keystone, architrave and responds, a
small arched light on each of the returns, and a stone frieze,
cornice and blocking. A further stone cornice at first-floor
sill level continues to the left over a one-storey projecting
wing with wide brick pilasters to 2 blank arches, and with a
large glazed opening on the garden front.
The main block has 2 deep stacks, and the principal cornice is
returned. The back of this range has raking sash dormers above
4-pane sashes to brick voussoirs; a triple sash, with narrow
side-lights and brick mullions, lights the principal stair.
The right-hand range incorporates the originally 2-storey,
8-bay house of 1780, now in 3 floors, 2 levels of attics, and
basement. The centre 4 bays are slightly recessed, with the
main entrance now in bay 6.
To the Esplanade is an upper range of 6 recessed dormers,
above 7 at parapet level, all with paired sashes, but the
central one with triple sash. First and second floors have
small sashes, 12-pane at second floor and 6-pane below. At the
ground floor is a large Palladian window in each end bay, with
glazing-bar sashes and radial heads, in narrow stone
dressings. The recessed section has a deep 12-pane sash, door
with transom light, deep 12-pane, and C20 doors on 8+2 steps
in a deep pedimented portico, brought to the pavement, and
stopping the large glazed bays of the verandah. A small
moulded stone cornice below the second-floor windows; the
raised gables are coped, with large brick stacks.
The rear has 4 upper dormers and 7 at parapet level, all
flat-roofed. The main brick wall, to a plain parapet, contains
small glazing-bar sashes at each level; a group of 4 small
lights, in a slightly stepped unit, and 6 in the main unit.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
The original Gloucester Lodge, occupied by George III from
c1790, was the 8-bay right-hand range, in only 2 storeys and
cellars; a photograph in 'Seaside Weymouth' (Attwooll and
West), shows the building in that state. It had a garden to
the S, now filled by the later range. It is important as
representing royal patronage, which was so vital in the
vigorous growth of Weymouth.
(RCHME: Dorset, South-East: London: 1970-: 355; Attwooll M &
West J: Seaside Weymouth: Weymouth: 1989-: PL 6).
Listing NGR: SY6800179373
