Regent Hotel

The Regent Hotel, Royal Leamington Spa

Hotel. The foundation stone was laid on 18 July 1818, and the building opened on 19 August 1819. It was built for Mr John Williams, designed by C.S. Smith of Warwick. The hotel has undergone later additions and alterations, including those of circa 1905 (carried out for Mr John Cridlan) and a mid-20th-century range to the rear. The mid-19th century saw the re-siting of the main entrance.

The building is constructed of pinkish-brown brick in Flemish bond, with painted stucco facades and Coade stone coats of arms. The roof is concealed. The plan centres on a central hallway.

The exterior comprises four storeys with seven first-floor windows. The outer bays are wider and project. The main facade features a plinth and horizontal rustication to the ground floor, extending to the returns. A first-floor band becomes an ovolo-moulded cornice to the outer bays, which continues to the returns and is interrupted by windows. Four Tuscan pilasters—one to each end of the outer bays—rise through the first and second floors. A double frieze and cornice continue to the right return. Pilasters with incised decoration appear at each end of the outer bays on the third floor, with a frieze, cornice, blocking course, and copings that continue to the right return.

The first floor's outer bays have 1/1 sashes in moulded surrounds with frieze and cornice. The centre section has plate-glass French windows with overlights; the central window has a tooled surround and consoles supporting an open segmental pediment containing Prince of Wales feathers. The second and third floors feature 1/1 sashes throughout. The ground floor has a central wide entrance with Tuscan pilasters supporting a hood, roll-edged step, central revolving doors between elliptically-arched, part-glazed panelled surrounds (with a left side door), egg-and-dart cornice, and a divided overlight. Flanking windows are 1/1 sashes. All windows are in plain reveals; sills appear on the second floor.

The right return forms the original entrance front, with four storeys and three first-floor windows, adjoined by a rear range of four lower storeys with seven first-floor windows. The main range has outer Tuscan pilasters through the first and second floors, with similar pilasters of incised decoration on the third floor. The first floor contains 1/1 sashes, with the centre window having a moulded surround, frieze, and cornice. The second and third floors have 1/1 sashes with smaller inserted sashes. The ground-floor entrance features a central tetrastyle Doric porch with full entablature, surmounted by a lion and unicorn with Prince of Wales feathers. The doorway has multi-pane glazing. Tripartite windows appear to the left (a 1/1 sash between narrower 1/1 sashes) and to the right (with multi-pane glazing). All windows are in plain reveals; those to the ground and second floors have sills. The rear range has mainly 6/6 sashes with plain reveals and sills.

The left return, formerly the garden facade, has a main range of four storeys with nine first-floor openings. The first, second, and third floors have 1/1 sashes; the second and seventh bays are blind. The ground floor has part-glazed doors to the fourth bay with a divided overlight, otherwise tall 1/1 sashes. All feature plain reveals; those to the second floor have sills. The rear range has four 6/6 sashes with flat arches, plain reveals, and sills.

The interior contains an imperial staircase with a decorative cast-iron balustrade of three balusters, then scrolling heart and paterae motif. Marble and cast-iron fireplaces appear in several rooms. Shutters, now painted over, 6-panel doors, and cornices are present throughout. The ground floor features elaborate Edwardian rococo revival and Georgian Revival plasterwork, along with marble fireplaces to the main reception rooms.

Historical note: The foundation stone was laid by Miss Greatheed in front of the actress Sarah Siddons. The hotel opened as Williams Hotel but was renamed The Regent three weeks later by permission of the Prince Regent, later George IV. At the time of its construction, the hotel was one of the largest in Europe. It was visited by Princess (later Queen) Victoria in 1830, the Duke of Wellington in 1827, architect John Nash, Prince Louis Napoleon (later Napoleon III) and Empress Eugenie in 1860, and by numerous other notable 19th-century figures.