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Grand Hotel, Birmingham
The Grand Hotel is a Grade II* listed Victorian five star hotel in the city centre of Birmingham, England. The hotel occupies the greater part of a block bounded by Colmore Row, Church Street, Barwick Street and Livery Street and overlooks St Philip's Cathedral and churchyard. Designed by architect Thomson Plevins, construction began in 1875 and the hotel opened in 1879. Extensions and extensive interior renovations were undertaken by prominent Birmingham architecture firm Martin & Chamberlain from 1890 to 1895. Interior renovations included the building of the Grosvenor Room with Louis XIV style decoration.
The hotel closed in 2002 and due to the risk of crumbling stonework where it remained under scaffolding and protective covers for ten years. In 2012 planning permission was granted for plans to restore the building into a luxury hotel. Works to the exterior began in October 2012 and completed in 2021. The hotel reopened in May 2021 with 185 bedrooms, two new bars and a restaurant, a gymnasium, meeting rooms, collaboration areas, and event spaces.[citation needed]
Before the 1870s, St Philip's churchyard was surrounded with Georgian terraces. However, as a result of the Second Birmingham Improvement Act of 1861, the buildings were to be cleared for the redevelopment of Colmore Row. As the leases on the buildings on Colmore Row began to end in the late 1860s, demolition began. Barwick Street was constructed in 1870 and several plots of land bounded by Colmore Row, Church Street, Barwick Street and Livery Street were acquired to create the site of the hotel. Isaac Horton, a major Birmingham land and property owner and his architect and builder, Thomson Plevins, were very active in the acquisition of the land and developing it in line with the 1861 Act. Plevins issued three separate contracts for the Colmore Row range of the hotel and construction work started in 1875 on the corner of Church Street. The hotel opened on 1 February 1879, with 100 rooms and a further 60 unfinished at the time of opening. Other facilities included a restaurant with an entrance fronting Church Street, two coffee rooms and stock rooms. The stock rooms were an exhibition space where businessmen could demonstrate their new products and were built as the hotel aimed to attract most of its clients from commercial visitors from out of town. The hotel was let to Arthur Field, a hotel operator from Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1880 the hotel was extended, when the corner of Church Street and Barwick Street was built.
In 1890, the hotel operator fell into financial difficulties, and the hotel was handed back to the owners Hortons' Estate Ltd. The owners then decided to revamp the hotel to appeal more to the luxury market. From 1890 to 1891, the majority of the interior of the hotel was reconstructed, decorated and furnished at a cost of £40,000 by Martin and Chamberlain. In 1893–95, extensive additions were made with the construction of a new block fronting Barwick Street. Within this new block was the Grosvenor Room, the Grosvenor Drawing Room, and the Crush Room, all decorated in rich and impressive Louis XIV style decoration. The building contractors were Barnsley and Son of Ryland St. North, and the building was furnished by Norton and Co. of Corporation Street. 75 new bedrooms were built in the new block, and two highly decorated billiards rooms were added to the basement. The stock rooms were retained, as they remained an essential part of the hotel's commercial function.
The hotel's heyday was in the early 20th century, when it played host to royalty, politicians and film stars as well as staging many dinners, concerts and dances in the Grosvenor Suites. King George VI, Winston Churchill, Neville Chamberlain, Charlie Chaplin, James Cagney and Joe Louis attended functions or stayed in the hotel at this time. Despite its previous success, as the century continued, the hotel ran into financial difficulties and closed in 1969. Hickmet Hotels took lease on the hotel in 1972, but despite a £500,000 refurbishment, trading conditions remained difficult and the company entered receivership in 1976.
Grand Metropolitan Hotels took over the lease in 1977 and undertook a £1.5 million refurbishment. In 1978, architects Harper Sperring undertook a modernisation of the interior and the exterior of the hotel. A major repair job was undertaken on the exterior stonework on Colmore Row and Church Street which comprised applying a resin sealant coat, followed by a thick cement layer and then over painting. In 1982 the lease was passed to Queens' Moat Hotels; with little investment and maintenance during the 1980s and 1990s, the hotel again fell into decline. In August 2002, the hotel closed due to financial difficulties. The exterior of the building began to deteriorate because of poor quality stonework; scaffolding was erected for public safety. In 2003, plans were put forward by the owners to demolish the building as the maintenance costs were becoming too high. The Victorian Society countered these plans by putting forward an application to spot-list the building to save it from demolition. In May 2004, the building was designated with a Grade II* listing protecting it from demolition.
In 2012, a planning application was put forward and accepted to restore the hotel. Owners Hortons' Estate proposed a £30 million scheme to the restore the hotel's façade, the Grosvenor Suites, and the grand staircase, and to re-model the inside to create a 152-bedroom, 8-suite, luxury hotel and move the main entrance to Church Street. Works to the exterior began in October 2012 and the hotel reopened in May 2021.
The Grand Hotel is one of the largest Victorian buildings in central Birmingham and forms part of the informal square around St Philip's Cathedral. The materials used on the north side of Colmore Row are predominantly stone with some brick and terracotta. The Colmore Estate insisted on the use of stone to add status, grandeur and dignity to the north side of Colmore Row. It has been stated that the north side of Colmore Row presents the best ensemble of Mid-Victorian palazzo splendour in Birmingham.
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Grand Hotel, Birmingham
The Grand Hotel is a Grade II* listed Victorian five star hotel in the city centre of Birmingham, England. The hotel occupies the greater part of a block bounded by Colmore Row, Church Street, Barwick Street and Livery Street and overlooks St Philip's Cathedral and churchyard. Designed by architect Thomson Plevins, construction began in 1875 and the hotel opened in 1879. Extensions and extensive interior renovations were undertaken by prominent Birmingham architecture firm Martin & Chamberlain from 1890 to 1895. Interior renovations included the building of the Grosvenor Room with Louis XIV style decoration.
The hotel closed in 2002 and due to the risk of crumbling stonework where it remained under scaffolding and protective covers for ten years. In 2012 planning permission was granted for plans to restore the building into a luxury hotel. Works to the exterior began in October 2012 and completed in 2021. The hotel reopened in May 2021 with 185 bedrooms, two new bars and a restaurant, a gymnasium, meeting rooms, collaboration areas, and event spaces.[citation needed]
Before the 1870s, St Philip's churchyard was surrounded with Georgian terraces. However, as a result of the Second Birmingham Improvement Act of 1861, the buildings were to be cleared for the redevelopment of Colmore Row. As the leases on the buildings on Colmore Row began to end in the late 1860s, demolition began. Barwick Street was constructed in 1870 and several plots of land bounded by Colmore Row, Church Street, Barwick Street and Livery Street were acquired to create the site of the hotel. Isaac Horton, a major Birmingham land and property owner and his architect and builder, Thomson Plevins, were very active in the acquisition of the land and developing it in line with the 1861 Act. Plevins issued three separate contracts for the Colmore Row range of the hotel and construction work started in 1875 on the corner of Church Street. The hotel opened on 1 February 1879, with 100 rooms and a further 60 unfinished at the time of opening. Other facilities included a restaurant with an entrance fronting Church Street, two coffee rooms and stock rooms. The stock rooms were an exhibition space where businessmen could demonstrate their new products and were built as the hotel aimed to attract most of its clients from commercial visitors from out of town. The hotel was let to Arthur Field, a hotel operator from Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1880 the hotel was extended, when the corner of Church Street and Barwick Street was built.
In 1890, the hotel operator fell into financial difficulties, and the hotel was handed back to the owners Hortons' Estate Ltd. The owners then decided to revamp the hotel to appeal more to the luxury market. From 1890 to 1891, the majority of the interior of the hotel was reconstructed, decorated and furnished at a cost of £40,000 by Martin and Chamberlain. In 1893–95, extensive additions were made with the construction of a new block fronting Barwick Street. Within this new block was the Grosvenor Room, the Grosvenor Drawing Room, and the Crush Room, all decorated in rich and impressive Louis XIV style decoration. The building contractors were Barnsley and Son of Ryland St. North, and the building was furnished by Norton and Co. of Corporation Street. 75 new bedrooms were built in the new block, and two highly decorated billiards rooms were added to the basement. The stock rooms were retained, as they remained an essential part of the hotel's commercial function.
The hotel's heyday was in the early 20th century, when it played host to royalty, politicians and film stars as well as staging many dinners, concerts and dances in the Grosvenor Suites. King George VI, Winston Churchill, Neville Chamberlain, Charlie Chaplin, James Cagney and Joe Louis attended functions or stayed in the hotel at this time. Despite its previous success, as the century continued, the hotel ran into financial difficulties and closed in 1969. Hickmet Hotels took lease on the hotel in 1972, but despite a £500,000 refurbishment, trading conditions remained difficult and the company entered receivership in 1976.
Grand Metropolitan Hotels took over the lease in 1977 and undertook a £1.5 million refurbishment. In 1978, architects Harper Sperring undertook a modernisation of the interior and the exterior of the hotel. A major repair job was undertaken on the exterior stonework on Colmore Row and Church Street which comprised applying a resin sealant coat, followed by a thick cement layer and then over painting. In 1982 the lease was passed to Queens' Moat Hotels; with little investment and maintenance during the 1980s and 1990s, the hotel again fell into decline. In August 2002, the hotel closed due to financial difficulties. The exterior of the building began to deteriorate because of poor quality stonework; scaffolding was erected for public safety. In 2003, plans were put forward by the owners to demolish the building as the maintenance costs were becoming too high. The Victorian Society countered these plans by putting forward an application to spot-list the building to save it from demolition. In May 2004, the building was designated with a Grade II* listing protecting it from demolition.
In 2012, a planning application was put forward and accepted to restore the hotel. Owners Hortons' Estate proposed a £30 million scheme to the restore the hotel's façade, the Grosvenor Suites, and the grand staircase, and to re-model the inside to create a 152-bedroom, 8-suite, luxury hotel and move the main entrance to Church Street. Works to the exterior began in October 2012 and the hotel reopened in May 2021.
The Grand Hotel is one of the largest Victorian buildings in central Birmingham and forms part of the informal square around St Philip's Cathedral. The materials used on the north side of Colmore Row are predominantly stone with some brick and terracotta. The Colmore Estate insisted on the use of stone to add status, grandeur and dignity to the north side of Colmore Row. It has been stated that the north side of Colmore Row presents the best ensemble of Mid-Victorian palazzo splendour in Birmingham.
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