Grand Hotel (Brighton)
Encyclopedia
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 Grand, but is more colloquially known by locals as simply The Grand. It was awarded 5 star status in 1988, but in 2008 it dropped out of the ratings system when a major refit was put on hold. It was the scene of the 1984 Brighton Hotel Bombing
.
, and built in 1864 on the site occupied previously by a battery house. It was originally built for members of the upper classes visiting Brighton and remains one of the most expensive hotels in the town. Among its advancde engineering features at the time was the "Vertical Omnibus", a hydraulically powered lift powered by cisterns in the roof. This was the first lift built in the UK outside London, where only two others had been installed.
The building itself is an example of Italian
influence in Victorian architecture
.
(IRA) on the early morning of 12 October 1984, in an attempt to assassinate the then Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
during the Conservative Party
conference. The Bomb exploded at 2.51am 12 October. It had been hidden three weeks earlier behind the bath panel of room 629 (currently 621).
Thatcher survived the bombing, but five other people died in the attack, including Roberta Wakeham, wife of the government's Chief Whip
John Wakeham
, and the Conservative MP
Sir Anthony Berry
. A prominent member of the Cabinet
, Norman Tebbit
, was injured, along with his wife Margaret, who was left paralysed. Thatcher insisted that the conference open on time the next day and made her speech as planned in defiance of the bombers, a gesture which won widespread approval across the political spectrum.
The hotel was re-opened in 1986. The re-inauguration was attended by Margaret Thatcher. Concorde
flew low from the South to salute the opening.
, the Grand Hotel was visited by the Trotter family in 1992, in an episode of the BBC Television
comedy Only Fools and Horses
entitled "Mother Nature's Son
".
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
hotel in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
on the south coast of 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...
. 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 Grand, but is more colloquially known by locals as simply The Grand. It was awarded 5 star status in 1988, but in 2008 it dropped out of the ratings system when a major refit was put on hold. It was the scene of the 1984 Brighton Hotel Bombing
Brighton hotel bombing
The Brighton hotel bombing happened on 12 October 1984 at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England. The bomb was planted by Provisional Irish Republican Army member Patrick Magee, with the intention of assassinating Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet who were staying at the hotel for the...
.
History
The hotel was designed by architect John Whichcord Jr.John Whichcord Jr.
John Whichcord, Jr. was an English architect, who designed several office buildings in London and, also, the Grand Hotel in Brighton.-Life and work:...
, and built in 1864 on the site occupied previously by a battery house. It was originally built for members of the upper classes visiting Brighton and remains one of the most expensive hotels in the town. Among its advancde engineering features at the time was the "Vertical Omnibus", a hydraulically powered lift powered by cisterns in the roof. This was the first lift built in the UK outside London, where only two others had been installed.
The building itself is an example of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
influence in Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
.
Rooms
There are 201 rooms in the hotel, including 8 singles, 115 standard twin and standard double rooms, 31 sea-view twin and sea-view double rooms, 42 "sea-view deluxe" rooms and 4 sea-view suites, including the "presidential suite". The hotel also boasts extensive conference facilities for up to 800 delegates.1984 bombing
The hotel was bombed by the Provisional Irish Republican ArmyProvisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) on the early morning of 12 October 1984, in an attempt to assassinate the then Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
during the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
conference. The Bomb exploded at 2.51am 12 October. It had been hidden three weeks earlier behind the bath panel of room 629 (currently 621).
Thatcher survived the bombing, but five other people died in the attack, including Roberta Wakeham, wife of the government's Chief Whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
John Wakeham
John Wakeham
John Wakeham, Baron Wakeham, PC, DL is a businessman and British Conservative Party politician and the current Chancellor of Brunel University.He was a director of Enron from 1994 until its bankruptcy in 2001....
, and the Conservative MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Sir Anthony Berry
Anthony Berry
Sir Anthony George Berry was a British politician, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate, and a Whip in Margaret Thatcher's government...
. A prominent member of the Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
, Norman Tebbit
Norman Tebbit
Norman Beresford Tebbit, Baron Tebbit, CH, PC , is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet from 1981 to 1987 as Secretary of State for Employment...
, was injured, along with his wife Margaret, who was left paralysed. Thatcher insisted that the conference open on time the next day and made her speech as planned in defiance of the bombers, a gesture which won widespread approval across the political spectrum.
The hotel was re-opened in 1986. The re-inauguration was attended by Margaret Thatcher. Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
flew low from the South to salute the opening.
Popular culture
Amongst many appearances in television and filmBrighton in film
-Films featuring Brighton:The city of Brighton has been featured in the following films:*Bank Holiday *Pink String and Sealing Wax *Brighton Rock *Genevieve *Linda *Jigsaw...
, the Grand Hotel was visited by the Trotter family in 1992, in an episode of the BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
comedy Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
entitled "Mother Nature's Son
Mother Nature's Son (Only Fools and Horses)
"Mother Nature's Son" is a Christmas special episode of the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses. It was first broadcast on 25 December 1992.-Synopsis:...
".