Duke of Cornwall Hotel

Duke of Cornwall Hotel
General information
Location	Plymouth, Devon, England
Coordinates	50°22′04″N 4°09′00″W / 50.3677001°N 4.1499031°W / 50.3677001; -4.1499031Coordinates: 50°22′04″N 4°09′00″W / 50.3677001°N 4.1499031°W / 50.3677001; -4.1499031
Opening	1865
Owner	Plymouth Hotel Company
Design and construction
Architect	C. Forster Hayward
Other information
Number of rooms	72
Number of restaurants	1
Parking	Available
Website
http://www.thedukeofcornwall.co.uk
Duke of Cornwall Hotel Duke of Cornwall Hotel (Plymouth)

The Duke of Cornwall Hotel is a hotel in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. Built in Victorian Gothic style, it opened in 1865 to cater for the increasing number of travellers who were coming to the region by rail and sea.

The hotel survived the World War II Plymouth Blitz without damage, and was the venue for regular functions throughout the war, even though the family that ran it were members of the fascist party and were removed from the city in 1944. In the 1970s and early 1980s it was threatened with closure but, helped by poet laureate John Betjeman's praise for its architecture, it was saved by a major refurbishment. Today it is considered to be one of Plymouth's principal landmarks.

The first steam train arrived at Plymouth Millbay railway station (now closed) on 2 April 1849. The increase of first class travel to the area led to an increasing demand for luxury accommodation and once the need for a quality hotel was recognised, a group of railway directors were appointed as the hotel's board of directors. They selected the architect C. Forster Hayward, who later designed the Swyddfa'r Sir in Aberystwyth to the same style but on a smaller scale. The builder was "Honest" John Pethick of Messers Hall and Pethick, who had already completed several jobs for the South Devon Railway Company including the rebuilding of Exeter St Thomas railway station and Newton Abbot and a hotel in Old Town Street of the city.

Construction started in 1863 and the hotel opened in 1865. Five different types of stone were used to create the building in Victorian Gothic style. Owned by the Plymouth Hotel Company the Duke of Cornwall cost £40,000 to develop including the excavation work required to clear the site where the Saracens Head Public House and Millbay Grove Terrace once stood.

In the 1920s long distance road travel was becoming a viable option and during the same period the number of ocean liner visits to Plymouth had doubled from 350 to 700 a year. Plymouth's location was attractive as it could cut a whole day in getting back to London by train rather than being routed through Southampton. With this spare day the people were looking for accommodation and due to this increase in passing trade the hotel went through a thorough program of reconstruction and redecoration. Its lighting was electrified, a lift was installed, and the sanitary arrangements were certified by the local authority.