Clacton-on-Sea: The former Grand Hotel

Image: © Nigel Cox Taken: 29 Oct 2018

The Grand Hotel was built here, on Marine Parade East, between 1892 and 1897. It is of steel box frame construction with red brick curtain walls, and, according to Historic England, is the earliest so far discovered with a complete and coherent internal structural steel system. It was used by the military during the Second World War, and then converted to a teacher training college in 1950. It is shown on the 1952 and all later 20th Century large scale Ordnance Survey maps as St Osyth's Training College. It is known by Historic England as the Colchester Institute. However in the early 2000s it was converted to apartments and renamed as just "The Grand". It is a Grade II Listed Building and the Historic England website describes the east façade (the main one to the left, facing the sea) thus:- "East front of 3 storeys and dormer attic; 19 window range. Symmetrical composition of 6 full-height projections, consisting of single polygonal turrets at the North and South ends, 2 3-window range bays with shaped gables inside these, and 2 central canted window bays. The 4 central projections separated by single-window bays. Facade horizontally divided at floor levels by rendered bands covering rolled steel joists and decorated with strapwork pargeting (many pargeted panels lost). Fenestration of 9/1 horned sashes to ground floor and 4/1 or 6/1 to next 2 floors, and 3/1 to the 3 pedimented dormers. All windows on lower 2 floors with tapering sash hoods. Central semi-circular porch, on 2 pairs of unfluted Doric columns. Double half-glazed doors beneath overlight with 4:8:4 panes. Cast-iron balconies between projections on first and second floors. 4 transverse stacks on front roof slope and additional stacks at oblique angles to North and South ends."

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