Bit of history for ya
The hotel was designed by the
Hull architect
Cuthbert Brodrick,
[1] who was better known as the designer of several
Leeds buildings, and when completed in 1867 was one of the largest hotels in the world, as well as one of the first giant purpose-built hotels in Europe. The hotel's yellow (also referred to as tawny) brickwork was made locally in
Hunmanby and is complemented with traditional red brickwork around the windows. The architectural sculpture was executed by
Burstall and Taylorof
Leeds.
[2]
The building is designed around the theme of time: four towers to represent the seasons, 12 floors for the months of the year, 52 chimneys symbolise the weeks, and originally there were 365 bedrooms, one for each day of a non-leap year.
[3] Following the renovation the room count was reduced to 280. The hotel itself is in the shape of a 'V' in honour of
Queen Victoria. The hotel's peak was arguably during
Victoriantimes, when wealthy holidaymakers made up the establishment's clientele. As Scarborough was a
spa town, the building's baths originally included an extra pair of taps, so guests could wash in
seawater as well as fresh.
[4]
The design has similarities to contemporaries of the period that were stylised as "
French Second Empire mode".
[5] The windows on the ground and first floors are round headed. Those on the first floor also have a continuous iron rail balcony. All first to third floor windows have a cornice over the top denoting the floor boundary. The Eaves level windows are located between the projecting brackets for the eaves. The attic windows are squared dormer on the lower level and rounded on the upper. The attic levels, being part of the roof are covered in slate. On the narrow end of the building there is domed structure between the two towers. Facing the sea, the three basement levels can be seen clearly extended the full length of the building. A glass-enclosed terrace has been added on top of this.
[6] The building was first listed on 8 June 1973 with number 1243163 under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.