Grand Ocean is a restored 1938 hotel building
[Connell, Ward and Lucas: ''Modern Movement Architects in England 1929-1939'' Authors Dennis Sharp, Sally Rendel Publisher Frances Lincoln ltd, 2008 ] in
Saltdean,
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, on the south coast of England.
History
Grand Ocean was designed by architect
RWH Jones with the classic moderne styling of the age, it opened as a luxury hotel in 1938.
During the Second World War the building was taken over by the fire service and used as a fire service college.
[''Training and Education in the Fire Services: Proceedings of a Symposium Conducted by heCommittee on Fire Research, Division of Engineering, National Research Council'' Contributor National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Fire Research Publisher National Academies, 1970]["The Grand Ocean Hotel at Saltdean enters a new phase"]
By Jan Melrose, ''BBC Sussex'', 10 February 2010 It was then bought by
Billy Butlin
Sir William Heygate Edmund Colborne Butlin (29 September 189912 June 1980) was a South African-born British entrepreneur whose name is synonymous with the British holiday camp.''#refRiverside, American Heritage Dictionary 2004'', p. 135.#refSc ...
in 1953 and became a Butlin's Holiday camp.
In 2005 a theatrical production, ''Dirty Wonderland'', was staged in the former hotel.
Shortly thereafter the main hotel building was redeveloped into luxury apartments.
Architecture
Notable features include the internal staircase and foyer.
[ITV Meridian News 28 6 1]
"Brighton's architectural gems"
/ref> It is included as the starting point of a local tour of Brighton architecture.
References
{{Brighton and Hove buildings
Hotels in Brighton and Hove
Brighton
Butlins hotels
Hotels established in 1938
Hotel buildings completed in 1938