Riviera Hotel, Weymouth

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Coordinates: 50°38′11″N 2°25′06″W / 50.6363°N 2.4182°W / 50.6363; -2.4182
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Riviera Hotel
Riviera Hotel in 2023
LocationBowleaze Cove, Weymouth, Dorset, England
Coordinates50°38′11″N 2°25′06″W / 50.6363°N 2.4182°W / 50.6363; -2.4182
Built1936–1937
ArchitectLionel Stewart Smith
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameRiviera Hotel, Bowleaze Coveway
Designated28 January 1997
Reference no.1135188
Riviera Hotel, Weymouth is located in Dorset
Riviera Hotel, Weymouth
Location of Riviera Hotel in Dorset
Riviera Hotel, Weymouth is located in the United Kingdom
Riviera Hotel, Weymouth
Riviera Hotel, Weymouth (the United Kingdom)

Riviera Hotel is a hotel at Bowleaze Cove, Weymouth, Dorset, England. Overlooking Weymouth Bay, the hotel was built in 1936–37 and has been a Grade II listed building since 1997. Historic England has remarked that it "epitomises the austere approach of the modernists in the immediate pre-war era, and suggests the designer's acquaintance with contemporary work in Rome and elsewhere".[1]

History[edit]

The Riviera Hotel and Bowleaze Cove as seen in 1938.

Originally known as the "Bowleaze Lido and Club", the Riviera Hotel was built in 1936–37 for a cost of around £40,000. It was designed in a modernist, Spanish-style by the Weymouth architect Lionel Stewart Smith and was constructed by Truscon Ltd.[1][2] As the hotel neared completion, its owners went bankrupt and the hotel remained closed, with only a caretaker, appointed by the Official receiver at Bristol, remaining on site.[3]

The hotel was subsequently sold and first opened as the Riviera for the summer holiday season on 28 May 1939.[4] Advertised as "Weymouth's most perfect holiday centre", the Riviera had approximately 70 bedrooms within its two long accommodation arcs. Symmetrical in design, both arcs were originally single-storey with a two-storey wing at each end. All of the rooms were fitted with divan beds, central heating, and hot and cold water. The central block between the two arcs contained the reception, dining hall, dance room and other facilities. Outside the hotel had its own private beach and various sport amenities, including a tennis court, bowling green and putting green.[5][6]

During World War II, the hotel was used to house disabled evacuee children under the age of 14, with most of them coming from London area.[7] In 1958, the hotel was taken over by Fred Pontin as part of his holiday camp chain Pontins.[8] In c. 1960, the single-storey sections of the two accommodation blocks were extended to make them two-storey, increasing the total number of bedrooms to around 100, and a ballroom was built.[2][1]

The ballroom suffered a fire in December 1960, leaving a 15 foot hole through its wooden floor and a load of debris in the billiard room below.[9] Another fire occurred in August 1968, damaging the ballroom, bar, café, nursery and billiard room, areas all within the central part of the hotel. The hotel's 300 guests were evacuated at around 3am but were able to return to their rooms two hours later.[10][11]

In 1999, the hotel was sold to Hollybush Associates, who carried out a £1 million refurbishment by 2002.[12] In 2009, the hotel was sold for £3.5 million to the Saudi Arabian hospitality chain Diyafa Group.[13] It then underwent a £4 million refurbishment scheme in 2010–12, which included reducing the hotel's number of rooms by making each one larger, updating the reception and dining room areas, and providing a repainting of the exterior.[14][15][16]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel provided temporary accommodation for the homeless in 2020–21.[17] In 2020, the hotel was placed on the market for £5.5 million, but failed to attract a buyer and was removed from the market the following year.[18][19] In 2023, the hotel was listed on the Twentieth Century Society's 'Buildings at risk' register due to "decline and neglect".[20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "RIVIERA HOTEL, Weymouth and Portland – 1135188". Historic England. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b Weymouth's Seaside Heritage. English Heritage. 2008. ISBN 978-1-84802-008-5. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Paid to live in luxury hotel - all by himself". Daily Mirror. 2 July 1938. p. 15. Retrieved 14 March 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ "A.B.C. Holiday Guide". Sunday Dispatch. 16 April 1939. p. 10. Retrieved 14 March 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "Holiday camps now deluxe". The Daily Mirror. 19 May 1939. p. 17. Retrieved 15 March 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Weymouth's most perfect holiday centre". The Coventry Herald. 13 May 1939. p. 5. Retrieved 15 March 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "Crippled children at Weymouth "Lido"". The Western Gazette. 27 October 1939. p. 12. Retrieved 14 March 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ Rose, Debby (2008). Weymouth Through Time. ISBN 9781445632162. Retrieved 15 March 2023 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "Fire at hotel: ballroom is damaged". Bristol Evening Post. 2 December 1960. p. 2. Retrieved 15 March 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "300 flee holiday hotel fire". Bristol Evening Post. 28 August 1968. p. 31. Retrieved 15 March 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "Hotel on fire: 300 evacuated". Hull Daily Mail. 28 August 1968. p. 8. Retrieved 15 March 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ^ "New owner for top hotel". Dorset Echo. 27 July 2001. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  13. ^ Kitching, Laura (11 November 2009). "Riviera touched – landmark hotel is sold to Saudis". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  14. ^ Hendy, Arron; Pearce, Lucy (27 August 2010). "Wedding dreams shattered as Weymouth's Riviera Hotel closes for revamp". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  15. ^ Davis, Joanna (13 January 2012). "Ninety jobs set to boost Weymouth". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Planning application: 11/00470/LBC". planning.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Concern over rough sleepers put up in hotel". Dorset Echo. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  18. ^ Taylor, Michael (20 November 2020). "Iconic Riviera Hotel for sale for £5.5 million". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  19. ^ McKeown, Sam (6 July 2021). "Riviera Hotel taken off market after it fails to sell". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  20. ^ "The Riviera Hotel, Weymouth". c20society.org.uk. 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
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