Grand Hotel

The Grand Hotel stands on the South Bay in Scarborough, overlooking the town. Built in the 19th century as a vast brick structure, it was once Europe’s largest hotel and remains a Grade II* listed building. The architect Cuthbert Brodrick designed it with four towers for the seasons, 12 floors for the months, and 52 chimneys for the weeks. Originally it had 365 bedrooms, one for each day of the year, and its shape honours Queen Victoria. The building’s yellow brickwork came from Hunmanby, with red brick around the windows, and its baths once supplied seawater for guests. The hotel’s history includes notable events like the 1914 German naval bombardment, which struck it at least 30 times. During the Second World War, it housed RAF trainees, and in 1980 it featured in an SAS training exercise after the Iranian Embassy siege. It has also hosted figures such as Winston Churchill and the Brontë family, whose writer Anne died on the site. The hotel’s design reflects the French Second Empire style, with round-headed windows, iron balconies, and detailed cornices. Visitors find a grand terrace added above the sea-facing basement levels, offering views across the bay. Inside, the layout still reflects its original purpose, with dining rooms and guest rooms arranged around the theme of time. The building’s narrow end features a domed structure between two towers, while the attic windows are squared dormers below and rounded above. Despite later health and safety challenges, the hotel remains a recognised landmark, listed among Historic Britain’s top ten places in 2017.