Listed Building: OXFORD HOTEL GROSVENOR PLACE (TERRACE) WITH RAILINGS (467554)

WEYMOUTH SY6878NW ESPLANADE 873-1/24/117 (West side) 18/06/70 Nos.31 AND 32 Oxford Hotel, Grosvenor Place (terrace), with railings GV II Marked on OS as Nos 1 and 2 Grosvenor Place. Pair of houses in row, now hotel. Late C18 and early C19. No.31 is rendered and scribed, with Portland stone flank wall, and No.32 painted brickwork, both with brickwork rear walls, all with slate roof. The building has a return to St Alban Street to the left, with a former entry, now blocked; this half was built in the late C18 as a 2-storey double-fronted house, raised by a further storey in the early C19, and No.32, slightly set back, was added in the early C19. The fronts are C19, with C20 roof storey. EXTERIOR: 3 storeys, attic and basement, 2+2 windows. Full-width late C20 dormers with steel sashes to each house, above 3-storey plain sash canted oriels, with panelled skirts, and with pilaster mullions to No.31, and fluted friezes to the individual sashes in No.32, above tripartite sash basement windows in very narrow areas. To the left of the oriel in No.32 are plain sashes in flush moulded boxes, with wide brick voussoirs, above a glazed door under elliptical plain fanlight, all in a Doric pilaster doorcase with fluted frieze and dentil entablature, on 7 plain steps. There are plat bands at ground and first floors, and a moulded cornice dying to the panelled skirts of the oriels at first floor to No.31; here the oriels have dentil cornices, but small modillion cornices at the added second floor, with a continuous moulded cornice. No.32 has plat bands, and a small blocking-course with coped parapet; the oriel has dentil cornices at each level. There are stacks to each gable end. The return to St Alban Street is in painted Portland stone block, raised in brick in the top storey. A 4-pane sash above a 4:12:4-pane sash canted oriel, a plain sash, and a small 6-pane, all to the left, and a blocked doorway at the centre, the former entry to No.31. A 1-bay extension, with flat roof, includes a 16-pane sash. The back is in unpainted English bond brickwork, with hipped dormers and large plain sashes in flush boxes. INTERIOR: considerably modified, but retains a full-height tight dogleg staircase with stick balustrade and a swept handrail. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: across the frontages are area railings; to No.31 these are light-weight spearhead, returned in quadrants at each end, and to No.32 more robust, with urn finials, and bold standards, returned to the right of the steps to the door. HISTORICAL NOTE: built as 2 houses, the property in the early C20 was used as workrooms and showrooms by Gieves, naval tailors, with staff accommodation on the top floors (information from owners). (RCHME: Dorset, South-East: London: 1970-: 354). Listing NGR: SY6807378901

Record last edited

Oct 12 2009 10:38AM