The Grand Hotel is a hotel in a

Grade II Listed Building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

in Broad Street in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It opened in 1869 and has been visited by several celebrities, including

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

and

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

. A major refurbishment programme took place in 2017.

Location

The Grand Hotel is on Broad Street in the Old City Corner. It a short distance from St John's Arch, one of the original gateways to Bristol.

History

The hotel was constructed by John Foster and Joseph Wood, replacing two pubs in this location. Construction started in 1864, and it opened in 1869. It was originally known as the White Lion, before being renamed as the Grand Hotel in 1874. It was constructed of

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

, in a rectangular Italianate

Renaissance style Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

. An attic storey was added during the 20th century. The interior was also extensively altered during this time. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the hotel was used as a residence for various agents, politicians and royalty and served as a link between London and Bristol Airport. It was Grade II listed in 1966. The hotel was renovated in 2017 in a £5 million refurbishment program, and is now known as the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel. It has 186 rooms, and is extensively decorated with art by local Bristol artists. In 2013, the Russian emigre

Nikolai Glushkov Nikolay Alekseevich Glushkov (; 24 December 1949 – 12 March 2018) was a Russian businessman who was the deputy director of Aeroflot and a finance manager for AvtoVAZ who died in suspicious circumstances. After claiming that Aeroflot work ...

became ill there, in a suspected poisoning incident.

Cultural references

Several celebrities have stayed at the hotel, including

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

and

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director, producer and writer.Obituary, '' Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' an ...

. In 1964, the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

were refused entry into the hotel's bar, because they were not wearing jackets. The hotel was featured in the BBC production of ''

The Trial of Christine Keeler ''The Trial of Christine Keeler'' is a British television series based on the chain of events surrounding the Profumo affair in the 1960s. The six-part series premiered on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 29 December 2019. The series was adapte ...

'' in 2019. During filming, it was briefly closed.

References

{{coord, 51.4553, N, 2.5934, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Hotels in England Grade II listed hotels Grade II listed buildings in Bristol