The New Metropole Including The Fountain In The Garden To The North And Surrounding Wall

The New Metropole, including the fountain in the garden to the north and surrounding wall, was begun in 1895 and designed by T W Cutler. It represents a rich example of the seaside Metropole Hotel style on the seafront. The building is four storeys and has attics, with a total of 35 windows. Construction is primarily red brick, with a rusticated stone ground floor. Stone cornices and balconies are present, and the roof is slate. The facade features three projecting sections of five windows each, with shaped Dutch gables and scrolls at each end. The central projection is topped with a dome, featuring a cupola of eight columns, a ball finial, and a weathervane. Balconies are present on all three projections, with those in the centre recessed. Additional balconies are centrally placed between the projections, and there are three dormers on each side. A large conservatory or winter garden, with six large windows on each side of the entrance, projects beyond the ground floor towards the sea; the two centre windows project further, sheltered by a glass canopy featuring an anthemion motif. To the north of the main building are two long projecting wings, the western one significantly longer than the eastern one. Within the garden, a contemporary fountain features a bronze cherub holding grapes and supporting the fountain bowl. The New Metropole is enclosed by a low brick wall with tiled coping and cast iron finials shaped like torches. The wall is punctuated by rusticated square piers with bands of red brick and tiles, alongside ovolo moulding. The New Metropole forms a group with the Grand Hotels.