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The Grand Hotel |
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The picture above is from a postcard which was sent to Holland on 8th September 1923. It shows the Grand Hotel with the Granville Gardens in front. It is not possible to see from this picture, but Wellesley Road ran from Marine Parade through to Townwall Street between the hotel and the gardens. The Bandstand can be seen to the right of the hotel - a popular venue with locals and holidaymakers. Behind the Bandstand are the houses on Marine Parade. To the left is Clarence Place. The picture is taken from a point near the Monument. |
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Four separate houses of this terrace, built in 1846, were converted to provide this hotel which opened on 19 April 1893. Electric light, the eighth wonder of the world at that time, was installed in 1897 by the Dover Electric Light Company. They had based themselves on Park Street three years earlier. An early casualty of world war two, it was struck on several occasions, initially on 11 September 1940 when one wing came to grief. Post war, the Grand Hotel Company wished to rebuild but their repeated requests over four years were all refused. I take it that compulsory purchase was the end result. Certainly, Dover Corporation paid £4,300 for the hotel and a figure of £3,750 was mentioned in 1954, apparently concerning the garage in Townwall Street. Frank Luck gave the town £1,000 for the privilege of clearing the site from June to October 1951. (Smith) |
