Details
BRIGHTON
TQ3004SE KING'S ROAD
577-1/39/368 (North side)
20/08/71 The Grand Hotel
II
Hotel. 1862-4. Designed by John Whichcord. Stucco, roof of
asbestos slate so far as visible.
EXTERIOR: 7 and 9 storeys over basement, with dormers; the
original building of 15-window range, to which more or less
contemporary buildings on either side, of lower height and
3-window range, have been annexed. The top 3 storeys of the
western wing were added in l985; and much of the central
section with its balconies, were remade in fibreglass at that
time.
The ground floor was originally fronted by a terrace, which
remains, but has been re-roofed and enclosed c1985. In the
western wing there is a stuccoed porch with flat-arched
entrance, and 3 flat-arched windows to eastern wing with
lion-head brackets and pendants between them. All windows
flat-arched. The first to 6th floors are arranged in much the
same way in 7 parts. The central part is of 3-window range and
has balconies carried on elaborate brackets with round and
segmental arches between them; on either side of the central
part is a plain bay of 3-window range; beyond that a shallow
canted bay of 3-window range; these 5 parts all have balconies
but apart from the central part the balconies are supported on
brackets with console details and have panels of elaborate
scrolled wrought-iron work except to the 6th floor where they
have simple replacement balusters; over the central and 2
flanking parts there is an ornate cornice with console
brackets and squared paterae, and over the central part itself
the 7th floor is treated as a decorative gable with a Venetian
window with ornate consoles flanking the lower and upper parts
of the window, crowned by an oval medallion intertwined with
dolphins; on either side are 3 dormers with pilasters and
segmental pediments. The outer, canted bays terminate at the
fifth floor; above them, the 6th floor is flat; the 7th and
8th are treated as towers, the 8th floor having flat-arched
windows under a round-arched arcade with columns of pink
polished granite and elaborate capitals between the windows;
modillion cornice. The outer wings are treated differently;
that to the west has 2 canted bays and 8 storeys, its parapet
terminating with the 8th storey of the main block; that to the
right has 7 storeys, no bays and a medley of pediments and
cornices to individual windows. All windows have late C20
glazing.
INTERIOR: the (now enclosed) entrance is flanked by stairs to
the original terraces with cast-iron newel post, arabesque
balustrades and wreathed brass rail. Round-arched entrance
with ornament on an enlarged scale: bay-leaf ornament to the
architrave, cartouche in place of keystone; panelled pilasters
to either side with foliage ornament in the panels; festoons
and drops to spandrels and brackets; egg-and-dart cornice;
foliage ornament to soffit of balcony.
The principal rooms of the ground floor are arranged axially;
the staircase hall to the north, restaurants to the east and
the present lounge, to the west; there is a vestibule to the
south which is flanked by Corinthian scagliola columns where
the passages from the 3 other rooms cross. The ceilings are
coved, panelled, and decorated with elaborate plasterwork in
the vestibule, restaurants and lounge, the vestibule having
Ionic antae and pilasters, and the first restaurant Corinthian
scagliola columns and pilasters; in the second restaurant, to
the west, the decorative ceiling, more French in taste than
the rest, is the only feature of interest.
The staircase hall has an openwell staircase, with stairs to
the east and west sides and galleries to the north and south;
it has a domed toplight above the 7th floor, this last built
in 1985; the stairs and galleries are carried on slim
cast-iron columns with fluting and palm-leaf capitals; these
support metal beams with decorative openwork which carry the
galleries and the slope of the stairs; the stairs themselves
have curtail step, elaborate cast-iron newel, arabesque
balusters and wreathed and moulded mahogany rail with carved
foliage decoration at the wreath. The present lift entrances
are the former entrances to the lift lobby. Flat-arched, 3-bay
arcade to the north with bold console brackets of goats' heads
and foxes; there is a similar arcade on the north galleries
above formed from 2 Corinthian scagliola columns and elaborate
console brackets with owls; walls to stairs and galleries
panelled in plaster, with round-arched aedicules, windows, and
lift-entrances all with elaborate architraves and some with
cornices. The combination of metalwork construction and
pronounced, partially conventionalised, ornament in the
staircase shows the influence of Owen Jones and 'design
reform' of the 1850s.
The Albert Room at the north-east corner of the ground floor,
now enlarged, has a coved and panelled ceiling with decorative
plasterwork.
HISTORICAL NOTE: when it was opened in 1864 the Grand Hotel
was the tallest building in Brighton and by far the largest
hotel, with 150 rooms. With John Whichcord's Clarence Hotel,
Dover of 1863, and the Grand Hotel, Scarborough, of 1862-7, it
introduced the scale and luxury of London's mid-Victorian
railways hotels to seaside resorts. It is famous for the
attempt by the Irish Republican Army, on 12 October 1984, to
blow up the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet with a
25 pound bomb placed in room 629.
The principal ground-floor rooms in front of the staircase
were badly damaged by falling masonry on this occasion, and
there was considerable reconstruction in 1985; however, some
of the C19 columns, wall- and ceiling-details etc remain and
the staircase area is not greatly changed.
(Carder T: The Encyclopaedia of Brighton: Lewes: 1990-; ).
Listing NGR: TQ3059604082
