Royal Breakwater Hotel

The Royal Breakwater Hotel, built around 1890 to 1910, is a large complex of buildings comprising a service wing, a central section with twin gables, and a three-bay unit to the right. The hotel's construction reflects a design characteristic of the turn of the century. The service wing is two storeys high, featuring a large four-light casement window in the gable, and a lower floor of English bond brick with a dentil course, brick eaves moulding, ogee gutters, and long hopper heads. A swept-down brick stack is located at one end. Behind the main frontage the building steps into the hillside with parallel units. The central section is four storeys high and has paired two-light casements in timber-framed gables above canted oriels with glazing bar sashes. The ground floor features glazed double doors with a modillion cornice, and windows with transoms, all set within Portland ashlar walling. The three-storey, attic unit to the right has three dormers with alternately pointed and rounded pediments, a deep coved cornice bearing the name "ROYAL BREAKWATER HOTEL" in bold lettering, and two-light casements with aprons above transomed casements. The ground floor has large fixed casements flanked by paired panelled doors in pilaster surrounds, all beneath a continuous modillion cornice and fascia, with curved pediments on scroll supporters. Downpipes are set to long horizontal hopper heads. Four brick stacks are present. A plain return faces a narrow throughway to the right. The interior has not been inspected. The hotel was constructed to serve the Dockyard, along with several other hotels and inns built in the late 19th century, and its main frontage facing the harbour remains unaltered.