The History:
The Grand Hotel is a Grade 2 listed Victorian hotel in the city centre of Birmingham. Designed by architect Thomson Plevins, construction began in 1875 and the hotel opened in 1874. Extensions and extensive interior renovations were undertaken by prominent Birmingham architecture firm Martin & Chamberlain from 1890 to 1895. Interior renovations included the building of the Grosvenor Room which boasts rich and impressive Louis XIV style decoration.
The hotel closed in 2002 and due to the risk of crumbling stonework it has been under scaffolding and protective covers since. In 2012 planning permission was granted for plans to restore the building into a luxury 152-bedroom hotel. Works to the exterior began in October 2012
The Explore:
Having known about this site since the middle of 2014, I was determined to get out there and get it done but it's one of those sites that kept getting put on the back burner due to other things taking priority. Fast forward a year and I decide that it's now or never so an impromptu meet sees me meeting one of my other good exploring buddies and we proceeded to get it done! Upon entering the hotel, I couldn't believe just how stripped out it was! Finding the ballroom was a mission in itself but eventually we managed it. Only to be met by a locked gate which was easy enough to climb around.
The Grand Hotel is a Grade 2 listed Victorian hotel in the city centre of Birmingham. Designed by architect Thomson Plevins, construction began in 1875 and the hotel opened in 1874. Extensions and extensive interior renovations were undertaken by prominent Birmingham architecture firm Martin & Chamberlain from 1890 to 1895. Interior renovations included the building of the Grosvenor Room which boasts rich and impressive Louis XIV style decoration.
The hotel closed in 2002 and due to the risk of crumbling stonework it has been under scaffolding and protective covers since. In 2012 planning permission was granted for plans to restore the building into a luxury 152-bedroom hotel. Works to the exterior began in October 2012
The Explore:
Having known about this site since the middle of 2014, I was determined to get out there and get it done but it's one of those sites that kept getting put on the back burner due to other things taking priority. Fast forward a year and I decide that it's now or never so an impromptu meet sees me meeting one of my other good exploring buddies and we proceeded to get it done! Upon entering the hotel, I couldn't believe just how stripped out it was! Finding the ballroom was a mission in itself but eventually we managed it. Only to be met by a locked gate which was easy enough to climb around.
