Whitsand Bay Hotel

Whitsand Bay Hotel

Hotel constructed in the late 19th century, said to have been moved and reconstructed in 1906 from Thankes Park, Torpoint, with some 20th-century alterations. The building is constructed of snecked slatestone rubble with limestone dressings, and is covered with a slate roof featuring raised coped verges and kneelers to the front gables, with stone ridge stacks with cornices.

The hotel is designed in Tudor Gothic style and comprises 2½ storeys with a symmetrical front elevation showing a 1:2:1:2:1 arrangement of bays. The three single projecting bays have gables, all set on a plinth. The central bay contains a canted bay at ground floor with a 2-light mullion and transom window and single sidelights, with a 4-centred arched door to the right side. At first floor, a 3-light mullion and transom window with 2-centred arched heads to the lights sits within a hollow-chamfered surround with recessed spandrels, flat head and hood mould. All windows at ground and first floor are of this type, with slatestone relieving arches and a limestone cill band running across the entire façade. At attic level, a 2-light casement with cill band is accompanied by white terracotta decoration at the top of the gable, including a heraldic beast and shield as finial. The bays to left and right each contain a 2-light window with moulded eaves cornice. The gabled bays at each end feature a 5-light window at ground floor, two 2-light windows at first floor set beneath a single relieving arch, and a 3-light casement at attic level, each gable topped with a heraldic bird finial. Set back to the right is a 4-stage square porch tower with an embattled parapet and a polygonal limestone chimney with cap.

At the right entrance side, the ground floor of the porch tower is open, with 3-centred arches to three sides, each with hood moulds, those at the sides featuring mask stops. Weathered buttresses flank the entrance, which is formed by inner 4-centred arched double doors, studded, with cover strips and strap hinges and an overlight. To the left at first floor is a 2-light window with cill band; to the right, at ground floor, a 5-light window with cill band and moulded eaves cornice. A gable end stack projects to the right. The left side displays three bays to the right, with a canted bay extending through two storeys, and a 2½-storey gabled wing projecting to the left forming the service wing, similarly furnished with mullion and transom windows. A single-storey 20th-century addition is attached to the right.

The interior plan comprises an entrance through the porch tower leading to a longitudinal passage, with a central large room and two smaller principal rooms to the left along the front, overlooking the sea. The stair hall and secondary rooms occupy the rear, with a service wing to the rear left.

The corridor and principal rooms at ground floor are all panelled, with 4-centred arches linking the central room to the corridor. The room to the front right has a coved cornice and a carved wooden chimneypiece with strapwork and mutule frieze. The centre front room possesses a coved cornice and carved wooden chimneypiece. The rear right room features a gable end fireplace with a wide 4-centred stone arch with a ridged stone hood on corbels, and pilasters in panelling to the sides. Two interconnecting panelled rooms occupy the front left. The stair hall contains a wide open-well stair in Jacobean style, with turned balusters and lantern-shaped finials to the newels. The stair light comprises 12 lights with fine stained glass, the two central lights depicting galleons in full sail. All first-floor rooms feature coved cornices, with chamfered and notched door and window frames. A secondary stair from the first floor to the attic, positioned to the right, also displays turned balusters. This represents an unusually complete interior for a building of this date, with fine period detail throughout.