Regent Hotel, Corran Esplanade, Oban

Regent Hotel, Corran Esplanade, Oban

This hotel comprises two buildings of different dates, designed and constructed in 1896 and 1936, representing distinct architectural periods and styles.

The 1896 Building

The original hotel is a three-storey building with an attic storey, constructed over a raised basement. It is a two-bay Scots Baronial composition with a narrow, asymmetrical street frontage and a deep, triple-pile rectangular plan. An annex is positioned at the centre of the south elevation, incorporating remains of an earlier terrace.

The walls are constructed of stugged, squared and snecked sandstone with ashlar dressings, which are droved into the arrises. The south elevation is built of coursed grey granite rubble with grey granite dressings.

The west elevation facing Corran Esplanade contains two bays. The centrepiece is a double-height entrance doorway, arched and architraved, with flanking pilasters and consoles supporting a pediment. The doorway is fitted with 2-leaf, 7-panel timber storm doors with coloured leaded glass in a traceried fanlight above. A basement-level doorway in the centre bay contains a 2-leaf timber door with stud nails and decorative hinges. Paired windows occupy the bay to the left at principal, second and third floors, with round-arched windows at principal floor level. A canted oriel window at first floor is heavily corbelled with curved brackets above pilasters and a crenellated parapet. A pedimented window occupies the right side of this bay. At third floor attic level, a stepped corbel table runs across, with a right-hand window breaking the eaves line featuring a segmental pediment and ball finial. The left bay of the attic features a crowstepped gable with pedimented windows, a slit window in the gablehead, and a ball finial. A pepperpot turret rises from the left corner, corbelled with a string course, a window, and a conical slated roof surmounted by a weathervane.

The north elevation is divided by three gables. A stepped corbel table runs at third floor, positioned at the gable centres. The gables are crowstepped with apex stacks. Roll-moulded windows, bipartite and pedimented, appear at second floor. Bracketed cills feature at second floor, and pedimented windows occupy the third floor of the right gable. The centre gable's third floor incorporates semi-superimposed dormers with crowsteps and ball finials flanking the stack, and a pedimented datestone to the left of the centre bay. Stair windows positioned at two upper intermediate levels in the bay connecting the west and centre gables are tripartite with roll-moulded transom and mullions. A pepperpot turret matching that at the west corner rises from the east corner.

The south elevation contains three gables corresponding with those of the north elevation, with three storeys and an attic featuring irregular fenestration. The left gable is crowstepped with skew copes to the others. A stone-gabled, bipartite dormer window is set between the west and centre gables, and another stone-gabled dormer window sits between the centre and east gables. A two-storey and attic wing projects from the centre gable section.

Throughout, timber plate glass sash and case windows are fitted. The roof is covered in grey slate with cast-iron down pipes and profiled gutters. The gable stacks on the north facade are heavily coped with decorative square cans.

The interior contains an entrance lobby with panelled dado and granolithic floor. Matching benches flank the foot of an 11-step stone stair to the principal floor, fitted with brass handrails. Plaster rococo panel surrounds with pilasters between appear above, along with swags and a decorative cornice. The principal floor hall features coloured leaded glass in the south window, dado panelling around the walls and extending up a six-flight timber stair with turned balusters and decorative newels with finials.

The 1936 Building

The later extension, designed by James Taylor, consists of a six-storey structure over a raised basement. A recent addition made since 1984 at fourth floor level includes a mansard roof above. The building comprises eight bays and a stair tower positioned at the south end.

The extension is built in the International Modern style of rendered and painted concrete, conceived as a connection to the neighbouring hotel building. The main block follows a rectangular plan with tightly curved corners. The original roof at fourth floor level overhangs and is fitted with a tubular handrail. Flanking, diagonally opposed stair towers originally provided access to a roof terrace but have been recently heightened by two storeys with an added mansard roof. Projecting single storey wings over the basement at the west front are parapeted with curved corners. A dining room wing to the left connects via a stair to the earlier hotel building to the right. A planter fronting the dining room wing is integral with the principal elevation. The entrance between the wings is accessed by a curved stair to a terrace with a glass-roofed canopy bearing the script "Regent Hotel". Delivery pend and car park access to the right of the building are crossed by two enclosed bridges at first and fourth floors, connecting with the earlier building.

The west elevation facing the front contains rectangular window openings at bays one to seven, with narrow window openings at bay eight. Stair tower windows appear at intermediate levels. Continuous string courses run at cill level at storeys one, two and three. Applied vertical banding appears between the windows of the wings.

The east rear elevation rises six storeys including the recent upper floor addition, with an eight-bay facade and a stair tower at the north end. A regular grid of rectangular window openings is maintained across all bays except bay one, where three windows are closely spaced, and bay three, where two narrow windows appear on all floors except ground level. Narrow stair tower windows punctuate intermediate levels, whilst tall ground floor kitchen windows are fitted.

The south stair tower rises six storeys including a recently added storey providing access to the new mansard roof. Windows on the west face are linked vertically by bead moulding, with layered decoration to the left of the west face.

The north stair tower rises six storeys with an overhanging roof. Adjoining square windows appear on west and north faces, separated by a tiled square column with a curved outer corner. Metal Crittal-type windows with casements are fitted in all original window openings. Curved glass appears at the corners of the front wings, with a metal band dividing at canopy height and continuing to the rear ground floor kitchen windows. A modern grey-slated mansard roof containing fifth floor rooms crowns the structure.

The interior retains much of its original character as built, except for modern wallpapers and carpets. Timber entrance doors from the porch to the foyer are fitted with simply etched glazing and tubular black handles with chrome brackets. A reception desk with timber surround features black and red glazed tile columns. A clock positioned on the wall above bears brass numerals and hands, flanked by streamlined horizontal decoration. Original fittings in the principal floor male toilets survive, including heavy cubical style urinals and basins with mirrors, accompanied by cream tiles with green banding to the walls.

A central section of the original boundary wall at the west front remains in place.