Queen's Hotel, Southsea

The Queen's Hotel is a striking Free Baroque hotel built in 1903–1904 to designs by Thomas William Cutler, with sculpture by Frederick E. E. Schenck. It was significantly enlarged — by over a third — in 1909–1910 by Sir Arthur Blomfield and Sons.

Construction and Materials

The hotel is built of red brick laid in English bond, with lavish use of buff terracotta. The terracotta faces the raised ground floor and basement, and provides dressings throughout, including the entablature with dentil cornice, pediments, banded quoins, and window surrounds. Many surrounds are eared, with triangular or segmental pediments broken by heavy keystones. Terracotta also forms the decorative balconies. The ground floor has large mullioned and transomed windows.

The mansard roofs are slate-covered. The roof over the 1909 section is slightly higher with steeper slopes. Brick ridge stacks have stone caps; those on the later part of the building are taller. Most windows are uPVC replacements, though some original frames remain; windows in the mansard roofs have mainly been replaced. A parapet that originally partially obscured the dormer windows was removed before 1909. Original cast-iron rainwater goods survive.

Plan and Layout

The original 1903 range was roughly square on plan, narrowing slightly towards the east. The 1909 addition continues this narrowing, creating a somewhat wedge-shaped overall plan. The original main entrance faces north but has been superseded by the western entrance from the car park. The long southern elevation faces the sea, with entrances to both sections. Each section has a lightwell. The western lightwell is partially filled at ground-floor level by a central domed vestibule, and by a lift shaft inserted in the 1920s or 1930s.

Exterior

The hotel is arranged over four storeys, with basement and attic. Each public elevation has a distinct character, with varied detailing providing both diversity and unity.

North-West Corner and Tower

The hotel is announced by the prominent canted north-west corner, which rises to a tower in four stages, with a window bay to either side. At ground-floor level, a decorative frieze sits above a bay window. The delicately moulded terracotta depicts young women in diaphanous dress forming corner piers, linked by floral swags, with a central cartouche. Above this, a tall blank frame contains applied metal lettering (in place since early in the 20th century) reading "QUEENS HOTEL", topped by an open-bed pediment with swags framing the date "1903". This supports a terracotta-faced octagonal stage with Doric columns enclosing a recessed window, the whole surmounted by a gadrooned terracotta dome on volutes.

West Elevation

The west elevation faces Southsea Common and the rebuilt Clarence Pier. It has a symmetrical seven-bay frontage defined by banded quoins, with an additional bay to the north linking to the corner tower. The central three-bay section contains the entrance, now enclosed by a large glazed porch thought to be interwar in date. This porch is of Classical inspiration, with corner columns topped by urns, a roundel frieze, arched windows to the front, and a ceiling of Vitriolite panels; the fascias are new. The stair itself appears to be a replacement (the original being of similar type to those on the south front).

The doorcase has pilasters with a form of Composite capital and a segmental pediment filled by a swagged cartouche. The inner doorway was originally preceded by a form of portico in antis, with balustraded openings to either side of the entrance; these have been converted to windows with inserted mullions and transoms. The upper part of the section is recessed, with engaged giant Ionic columns separating lower windows with eared surrounds and heavy keystones, and upper oculi of the type seen at Wren's Hampton Court, wreathed with laurel and garlanded. The pediment above is enriched with a festooned cartouche. In the outer bays, the first- and second-floor windows have terracotta balconies with solid fronts decorated with Jacobean-inspired strapwork.

North Elevation

Facing Osborne Road, the north elevation of the original building has eight bays, symmetrical apart from the westernmost bay (represented by the corner). The central three-bay section is slightly lower and slightly recessed. At the centre is the original main entrance, designed for carriage access. The doorway is flanked by Ionic columns on which kneel large draped semi-nude female figures, supporting an open-bed segmental pediment and creating a frame for a tall mullioned overdoor light. In the frieze to either side, the words "QUEEN'S" and "HOTEL" are moulded in terracotta. The eared doorcase has a scrolled keystone and a pulvinated frieze with a projecting cornice festooned with pomegranates.

To either side of the central doorway is an arched opening which gave access to a semi-circular carriageway, lined with terracotta, by which guests could be delivered to an inner, bolection-moulded doorway with a central cartouche below a modillion cornice. This function appears to have ended during the building's first decade: the 1909 alteration plans show the openings as they are at present, with the lower part filled with terracotta, leaving a lunette above with glazing bars incorporating a pediment. The carriageway now contains timber partitioning, but original terrazzo flooring and cast-iron drain covers survive.

Above the entrance is a double-height aedicule representing the main stair, with a convex opening containing a pedimented window beneath an arched window, the pediment of the aedicule breaking through the cornice. The central section is flanked by narrow four-storey projecting bays with banded quoins, distinguished by swags above an eared ground-floor window with a heavy keystone, and an oculus at third-floor level.

The 1909 extension complements the original work without imitating it, using similar window surrounds and banded quoins. Maintaining the rhythm of the frontage, the Blomfield addition balances the three taller easternmost bays of the original with three bays to the east, defined by banded quoins and topped by a square dome with a smaller cupola, balancing the dome to the north-west. The central entrance section, balancing that in the original section, is lower and five windows wide. The doorcase — the terracotta now largely painted — has a broken pediment; above, a terracotta frontispiece rises through the first and second floors, with an œil-de-bœuf to the first floor and a festoon above. The ground-floor windows to the east of the entrance have been formed into two glazed shopfronts shown on the 1909 plans.

East Elevation

The eastern elevation of the later range is not given an architectural treatment, presenting blind walls to the north and south ranges on either side of a lightwell. It is partly obscured by a later building.

South Elevation

On the south elevation, facing the garden with the sea beyond, the original frontage has a six-window section between two wider and slightly projecting "pavilion" bays, with banded quoins and pediments broken by festooned oculi. A central stair leads to a loggia at raised ground-floor level, fronting the dining room. The terracotta balustrade of both stair and loggia has enriched mirror balusters. The stair narrows towards the top, opening to a section that breaks forward from the terrace, creating additional circulation in front of the central column.

The loggia has an arcade on Ionic columns; the two western bays are now glazed. The loggia supports a balcony with a continuous strapwork front. A balcony in similar style extends across four bays at second-floor level. To either side, the bays have double-height projections clad in terracotta, their mullioned windows having a central arched section, topped by brickwork balconies with central terracotta cartouches. Opening onto these are tripartite windows in a Serlian arrangement beneath a segmental pediment.

The 1909 addition almost mirrors these details, creating a new symmetry by transforming the original eastern pavilion into the central one, and adding a further six-window section with a terminating pavilion. On the later section, however, the loggia — incorporated into the ballroom — projects slightly. Stone frames within the arched openings, and a stone backing to the balustrade, indicate that this section was always glazed. The staircase is wider, spanning two archways, thus removing the need for the projecting upper section.

Interior

Ground Floor

The west entrance gives access to a grand lobby with a coffered ceiling, painted panelling, and a floor of black and white chequered marble. Beyond a screen of red scagliola Ionic columns, at the centre of the original building, is a domed vestibule. Columns support the roof on four sides, framing arched openings to north and south, and a neoclassical marble chimneypiece with console brackets to the east. The lunettes are painted with scenes of British maritime history, while the pendentives appear to illustrate the four winds. The glass of the dome is painted with grotesque ornament, with framed heads representing the months. The base of the dome is encircled by a gilded wreath of fruit and flowers.

The northern entrance provides access to the entrance lobby and vestibule via a stair that divides at the top, leading northwards to a small porter's room overlooking the entrance (now a WC), and southwards to a stair lobby protected by a balustrade of mirror balusters. The lobby has a barrel roof, the ribs decorated with wreathed flowers, fruit, and acanthus. The main stair rises to the north, with the domed vestibule to the south.

To the north of the entrance lobby, the corner is occupied by the tea room, entered through a scagliola doorway fitted with later doors, truncated by an inserted reception area. The tea room retains a modillion cornice, a screen of black scagliola Ionic columns, and raised and fielded panelling. There is a large bar, recently installed.

To the south of the lobby is the bar area, also with a modern bar. This room has an elaborate Edwardian Baroque chimneypiece and overmantel arrangement: the eared chimneypiece is flanked by consoles, with a strapwork frieze and festoons surrounding a mirror.

The dining room along the south front is accessed by glazed doors in keyed arched openings from the bar and domed vestibule. The ceiling is in three compartments with console cornices, the compartments enriched by panels with eared plasterwork frames of wreathed flowers and fruit. The walls are defined by applied mouldings. At either end of the room is a circular vent with an ironwork grille surrounded by a plasterwork frame of acanthus and fruit.

In the 1909 part of the building, the ballroom reflects the form of the dining room, continuing along the south front. In this room, an additional section is provided by the projecting loggia, divided from the main part of the room by a screen of Ionic columns. There is a buffet area at the east end within the pavilion bay, defined by Ionic pilasters. The ballroom ceiling is coffered; central panels have been added recently, concealing lighting. The walls are panelled. At the east end, a fireplace is incorporated, though the decoration of the opening cannot be original. The central area of this section contains the lightwell and stairs, while the northern area, of lesser interest, is given over to offices and WCs, with some partitioning and few historic features.

Main Stairs

The main stair to the north of the 1903 building is of tight open-well form, somewhat constrained by the angle of the north side of the building. The upper sections are cantilevered, with columns at the turns. The lower section of the moulded mahogany handrail with a terminal oak leaf scroll is supported on brackets. The upper sections to third-floor level are supported on iron balustrades alternating mirror and stick balusters, and above with only stick balusters. The large stair windows have original frames with decorative stained glass. The stair treads are marble to second-floor level.

The main stair in the 1909 part of the building has a wider open well with a geometric iron balustrade.

Upper Floors

The bedrooms on the first to third floors have undergone modernisation together with some minimal reconfiguration for the provision of bathrooms. Surviving historic features include moulded cornices, skirtings, and architraves, and some panelled door openings. All fireplaces have been removed and doors replaced. In the corridors, panels concealing lighting and services have been inserted below ceiling level on the first and second floors, but original cornices survive above. The third-floor corridors have false ceilings. Some areas were undergoing renovation at the time of inspection in March 2020.

On the fourth floor, originally occupied by servants, the layout appears to remain intact. Corridors have plaster skirtings with bead mouldings, and some plain moulded archways. Timber architraves survive to the doorways and windows, with a panelled doorway to the corner tower room. A small number of simple Edwardian chimneypieces remain, though the majority have gone.

Basement

The basement is accessed by a number of stairs in the northern part of the building. At the centre of the 1903 building is the former kitchen, a large square room lined with white-glazed bricks (now partly painted), with a doorway and windows opening to a wide passage to the north. The large opening for the kitchen range remains. Within the room, pipes and services have been inserted below ceiling level, and windows have been partly obscured. An unfinished doorway has been broken through to the south-west.

In the south-west corner of the building is a former reception room, now disused, with a screen of square panelled columns to the south, a compartmented ceiling with egg and dart moulding to the beams, and an elaborate brown-glazed ceramic chimneypiece incorporating a mirrored overmantel.

Below the western entrance are the men's WCs, which retain a row of tall ceramic urinals of Deco character, probably 1930s in date, retaining original pipework. In the north-west corner of the building is the boiler room, with chimney openings; the boiler has been replaced. To the south-east there was originally a Turkish bath area; this was not inspected, but it is understood that a bath still exists, now lined with later tiles. The eastern part of the basement, in use until recently as a nightclub and restaurant, was not inspected, but photographic evidence suggests that historic features have largely been either removed or concealed, making this area of lesser interest.

Gate Piers

A pair of gate piers stands to the south-west of the hotel at the entrance to what is now the car park on Clarence Parade. The piers are of red brick with moulded capping and bases of buff terracotta, surmounted by scrolled cast-iron finials supporting lanterns; the lanterns are replacements. The gate piers are not contemporary with the first phase of the hotel but were installed early in the 20th century, marking one entrance to a semi-circular drive. A second pair which marked the entrance to the north-west of the hotel has been moved and is not included in the listing.