Bedford Hotel (Brighton)
Encyclopedia
The Bedford Hotel was a hotel on the seafront in Brighton
, England
which has subsequently been renamed the Holiday Inn Brighton after becoming a part of the Holiday Inn
business.
by over 30 years, the Bedford opened in October 1829, having been built for William Manfield. The late Georgian
-style hotel was subsequently leased to its designer, Thomas Cooper, in 1835. This arrangement lasted only until the following year, after which Manfield ran it again until 1844 when he leased it to Joseph Ellis. In 1855 Ellis purchased the hotel outright.
In 1866 the West Pier
was built, by Eugenius Birch
; it meets the seafront opposite Regency Square
, very close to the hotel.
By 1963 the hotel was owned by AVP Industries, and in that year there was controversy surrounding their desire to replace the building with a modern 14-storey tower block
. Shortly after this, on 1 April 1964, the original building was destroyed by a fire — with the death of two people.
The hotel was rebuilt on the same site, re-opening on 16 September 1967. The 168-feet tall, 17-storey block was designed by R. Seifert and Partners
as a 127-room hotel and also a section of private domestic flats, known as Bedford Towers.
As of 2007 the hotel has 131 guest rooms, a cocktail lounge and restaurant.
porticoes facing south and west above the entrances. Its west wing (the first part to open) was recessed from the road and decorated with giant pilasters. The interior had a Grecian
hall with Ionic columns and a glazed dome.
The modern replacement building bears no resemblance to its predecessor. There is a tower with balconies on most floors in a staggered arrangement, atop a broad ground floor section; the ground floor has large windows and a covered terrace which serves as a porte-cochère.
, who wrote Dombey and Son
while staying at the hotel.
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which has subsequently been renamed the Holiday Inn Brighton after becoming a part of the Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
business.
History
Pre-dating Brighton's more famous Grand HotelGrand Hotel (Brighton)
The Grand Hotel is a Victorian hotel in Brighton on the south coast of England. It is located on Kings Road, the main carriageway along the seafront; one of several major hotels along this road. Following the fashion to include a hotel's parent company in its name, it is also known as the De Vere...
by over 30 years, the Bedford opened in October 1829, having been built for William Manfield. The late Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
-style hotel was subsequently leased to its designer, Thomas Cooper, in 1835. This arrangement lasted only until the following year, after which Manfield ran it again until 1844 when he leased it to Joseph Ellis. In 1855 Ellis purchased the hotel outright.
In 1866 the West Pier
West Pier, Brighton
The West Pier is a pier in Brighton, England. It was built in 1866 by Eugenius Birch and has been closed and deteriorating since 1975, awaiting renovation...
was built, by Eugenius Birch
Eugenius Birch
Eugenius Birch was a 19th Century English naval architect, engineer and noted pier builder.-Biography:Both Eugenius and his brother were born in Gloucester Terrace, Shoreditch, to grain dealer John and wife Susanne...
; it meets the seafront opposite Regency Square
Regency Square, Brighton
Regency Square is a large early 19th-century residential development on the seafront in Brighton, part of the British city of Brighton and Hove...
, very close to the hotel.
By 1963 the hotel was owned by AVP Industries, and in that year there was controversy surrounding their desire to replace the building with a modern 14-storey tower block
Tower block
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, office tower, apartment block, or block of flats, is a tall building or structure used as a residential and/or office building...
. Shortly after this, on 1 April 1964, the original building was destroyed by a fire — with the death of two people.
The hotel was rebuilt on the same site, re-opening on 16 September 1967. The 168-feet tall, 17-storey block was designed by R. Seifert and Partners
Richard Seifert
Reubin Seifert - normally known as Richard Seifert was a British architect, best known for designing the Centrepoint tower and Tower 42 , once the tallest building in the City of London...
as a 127-room hotel and also a section of private domestic flats, known as Bedford Towers.
As of 2007 the hotel has 131 guest rooms, a cocktail lounge and restaurant.
Architecture
The original hotel had five storeys with two recessed IonicIonic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
porticoes facing south and west above the entrances. Its west wing (the first part to open) was recessed from the road and decorated with giant pilasters. The interior had a Grecian
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
hall with Ionic columns and a glazed dome.
The modern replacement building bears no resemblance to its predecessor. There is a tower with balconies on most floors in a staggered arrangement, atop a broad ground floor section; the ground floor has large windows and a covered terrace which serves as a porte-cochère.
Notable guests
As a fashionable hotel in a fashionable resort town, the Bedford attracted many celebrity guests and even royalty. Amongst the guests was Charles DickensCharles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
, who wrote Dombey and Son
Dombey and Son
Dombey and Son is a novel by the Victorian author Charles Dickens. It was first published in monthly parts between October 1846 and April 1848 with the full title Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation...
while staying at the hotel.