Great Western House

Great Western House, formerly known as the Great Western Hotel, is one of the first railway hotels in Britain, built in 1844 in the Italianate style. The building has three storeys and a basement, constructed of stucco with rusticated quoins. The ground floor features channelled detailing, and the façade is divided into five by three bays, supported by pilasters that hold up an entablature and a boldly projecting modillion cornice. The windows are glazing bar sash with architraves, and the first floor has a balustraded balcony, frieze, and cornice, with the central window adorned with a pediment. The second floor windows have bracket cornices.

A central projecting portico showcases a full Doric order with paired columns. To the right, there is a two-bay canted extension that matches the main style. The north front includes a central bowed three-light bay with a cornice above on the ground floor, and a high panelled parapet sits over the cornice. There is a later four-storey extension to the left with a carriage entry, featuring moulded coping to the parapet and arranged in a two plus one bay configuration. A modern extension is present to the south. The building shares similarities with the Royal Station Hotel at Slough, suggesting that Isambard Kingdom Brunel or one of his assistants may have been the architect. A balustraded area with heavy balusters curves around the corner leading to the station approach.