Former Groudle Glen Hotel

Summary

A request was made for all information regarding discussions on registering the former Groudle Glen Hotel as a protected building, to which the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture responded by providing a full consultation report and related documents.

Key Facts

• The Groudle Glen Hotel was constructed in 1893 by Richard Maltby Broadbent to serve visitors to the newly established Groudle Glen.
• The building is attributed to renowned Arts and Crafts architect M.H. Baillie Scott, though no documentary evidence definitively proves this.
• The hotel was assessed for inclusion in the Register of Protected Buildings following an external inspection on 25 January 2019.
• The property features distinctive architectural elements including a wooden veranda, oriel windows with leaded lights, and hanging tiles.
• The hotel reached its peak popularity in the late 1970s under a landlady known as 'Ma' and was refurbished in the early 1980s.

Data Disclosed

• 1893
• 1894
• 25 January 2019
• 20 December 2018
• 18/00008/RBINV
• IM3 2JY
• 1970s
• 1980s
• 1995
• 44 pages
• 3 documents

Original Request

All information and details of discussions regarding the former Groudle Glen Hotel (now Groudle Glen House) in particular discussions and deliberations regarding the registration of the property

Data Tables (7)

Full Response Text

Department of Planning & Building Control Consultation Report 25 January 2019 Page 1 of 4 Case Name: Groudle Glen Hotel Case Number: 18/00008/RBINV Background The Planning & Building Control Directorate has been asked to survey Groudle Glen Hotel as a candidate for inclusion into The Register of Protected Buildings, a register of buildings of special architectural or historic interest on the grounds of special interest. Asset (s) under Assessment Facts about the asset (s) can be found in the Annex (es) to this report Annex Name Category 1 Groudle Glen Hotel Registration Visits Date Visit Type 20 December 2018 External inspection 1 Department of Planning & Building Control Consultation Report 25 January 2019 Page 2 of 4 Annex 1 The Factual details are being assessed as the basis for a proposed addition to the Register of Protected Buildings. Factual Details Name: Groudle Glen Hotel Location King Edward Road, Onchan, IM3 2JY History The Groudle Hotel is located on the Douglas to Laxey coast road, at the entrance to Groudle Glen. The glen was established in 1893 by Richard Maltby Broadbent, the director of the Palace Company. Mr Broadbent was keen to take advantage of the benefit of the newly constructed Douglas-Laxey Electric railway. Broadbent applied to the licensing court in July 1893 when the hotel was still under construction. The roof had been built but the windows had not yet been added and there were still decorative works to be done. The licence was granted and the hotel opened in August 1893. In 1894 the Douglas and Laxey Coast Electric Tramway Limited doubled its track to Groudle Glen and completed its route to Laxey; also that year the hotel’s distinctive wooden veranda was constructed. The glen was famous for being the home of polar bears and sea lions, which were kept at the seaward end of the valley. The Groudle Hotel has been attributed to Baillie Scott as at the same time of the hotel’s construction, Ballie Scott was designing Ivydene, in Little Switzerland for Richard Maltby Broadbent. There is no documentary evidence to prove that the Groudle Hotel was designed by Baillie Scott. The reasons for this are due to the connections with Mr Broadbent, and it would have been unlikely that he would have employed two architects at the same time, it has also been documented in Slater’s 1995 book that “a Miss Denver, who was the daughter of the licensees of the hotel during the inter-war period, was told by Mr R.G. Shannon, an accountant for an estate company during the same period, that Baillie Scott undertook the commission”.
The Groudle Hotel reached its peak in the late 1970’s, due to a popular and friendly landlady, known affectionately as ‘Ma’. The hotel was refurbished during the early 1980’s and a restaurant was added. Details A former Hotel constructed in 1893 attributed to renowned Arts and Crafts Architect M. H. Ballie Scott for Richard Maltby Broadbent to provide accommodation for visitors to the Glen. Alteration to the building has included the replacement of roofing material from plain clay tiles to pantiles, introduction of veranda to front and extensions to rear and side and internal remodelling. MATERIALS: Rough cast render, hanging tiles, timber windows under pantiled roof with brick stacks 2 Department of Planning & Building Control Consultation Report 25 January 2019 Page 3 of 4 PLAN: The building is rectangular in plan form of two storeys plus dormered attic to the front with additional lower ground floor to the rear. The building sits on the roadside of a sloping site with the rear projecting onto the sloping glenside. EXTERIOR: The roadside elevation has projecting rendered veranda with piers, balustrade and rail underbuilt at ground floor with three centrally placed chamfered mullioned windows with leaded lights with two centrally placed opening toplights. Eastern most bay part recessed to original building line with timber door part glazed flanked by sidelights in timber frame. Part projected but recessed containing double doors. Western most bay recessed double doors continuing westwards to a flat roofed toilet block with six small casement windows and door. At first floor 3 oriel windows with leaded lights directly under eaves, eastern most window built out to form bay flanked by timber door with four panels and top leaded lighted panel. End bays contain oriel windows positioned lower than central three with rendered panel below eaves, above timber leaded lights, eastern most window has oriel brackets still in situ. Each end of the elevation contains detailed scrolled console brackets with leaf motif.
Hipped roof with deep set eaves now covered in pantiles two flat roofed dormers to front not equal in size, larger dormer to eastern end with brick stack above.
The Glenside elevation, three flat roofed dormers with brick stack above eastern most dormer, scrolled console brackets under eaves and under jettied first floor, leaf detail upon upper bracket and triskelion at ground continuous bay with timber casement windows, hanging tiles below at first and ground floor at either end. At first floor central bay window with timber casement flanked on both sides by mullioned windows between bays. At ground floor central bay replaced with projection extension up to western bay window. At lower ground floor recessed door to eastern side, projecting ground floor extension above central lower ground floor. Eastern elevation continuous bay with timber casement windows and hanging tiles under hipped roof. Western elevation hipped single storey and later flat roofed extension, large brick stack projecting from hipped roof of principle building. INTERIOR: Altered but not inspected Subsidiary Features: None Selected Sources Isle of Man Victorian Society, No.35, Autumn 1993. Cubbon S., 1997, Manx Inns – A pub Crawl Through History. Dearden S. and Hassell K., 1996, The Isle of Man, A Postcard Tour – Volume Two, Douglas and the East. Jessopp A., 1995, Isle of Man Pub & Brewery Guide. Slater G.J., 1995, Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott, An Architectural History. 3 Department of Planning & Building Control Consultation Report

25 January 2019

Page 4 of 4

Map: For Identification purposes only

4 Appendix 1 Registration Advice Report Case Name: Groudle Glen Hotel, King Edward Road, Onchan, IM3 2JY Case Number: 18/00008/RBINV Background The Department for Planning & Building Control has been asked to survey Groudle Glen Hotel as a candidate for inclusion into The Register of Protected Buildings.

Asset (s) under Assessment Facts about the asset (s) can be found in the Annex (es) to this report

Annex Name Category 1 Register Entry Summary Registration proposals

Visits Date Visit Type 20/12/2019 Visual inspection
20/02/ 2019 Visual inspection Context The building is not located within a conservation area

Assessment Consultation The formal Notice proposing entry and a Building Preservation Notice were issued 1st February 2019 and publicised via the planning publication list, website and via a notice displayed at the site.

Comment was invited from the owner/occupier, the Local Authority, Manx National Heritage, Victorian Society and the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society (IOMNHAS).

Representations supporting the registration were submitted by Manx National Heritage, IOMNHAS, Groudle Glen Railway, Manx Electric Railway Society, Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters’ Association and a private individual.

5 Detailed comments were received from who objects to the proposals which was also not supported by Onchan District Commissioners.
Manx National Heritage support the registration stating that the building is very likely to be the work of Baillie Scott but regardless of this the hotel is of special interest as being representative of the development in the infrastructure of the Glen and of Victorian tourism, Groudle Glen being one of a number of ‘micro resorts’ with Groudle Glen being the best and the most surviving compared to Glen Maye, Glen Helen or Port Soderick with the Hotel being an important element of the micro resort. IOMNHAS also supports registration considering the building to reflect the historic development of the Manx Electric railway and Groudle Glen as a tourist attraction and refer to the article in the Isle of Man Examiner Tuesday 1st January 2019 which considers the building to be by Baillie Scott.
Support for registration was also received from three heritage transport groups, Groudle Glen Railway, Manx Electric Railway Society and Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters’ Association their support can be summarised as the building being an intrinsic part of the Glen and associated tourism and associated transport.
A member of the public also wrote in support of the proposal who considers the building to be important as the work of Baillie Scott. is opposed to the registration stating; that the building has been vacant for many years, , that no substantive documentary evidence exists to link the building to Baillie Scott, registering the building will devalue all other buildings on the list. Later architectural historians who have published on Baillie Scott have not referenced the building. Slater’s evidence from Miss Denver is flawed. The building was not considered during the review of his buildings for registration on 1995/6. The Groudle was not raised by Manx National Heritage or considered for registration when the Majestic Hotel that was Baillie Scott’s first major work was demolished. There are examples of Baillie Scott’s work that remain in their original form such as the Red House. The building has been altered to such an extent and is in poor condition that it is not of special interest.
6

Onchan Commissioners do not support registration - their concern relating mainly to restrictions on future maintenance works and is in need for remedial works and they do not consider there to be sufficient architectural or historic interest.
Discussion It is my view that the potential special interest of the building can be summarised by three main issues;

The work Baillie Scott: The owner is quite correct that there is no documentary evidence to categorically state the building was designed by Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott. The evidence that has been put forward by Slater in his book and in the articles published on Island, are in my view conjectural. The Building is clearly designed in the Arts and Crafts style and has elements which can be seen in Baillie Scott’s known works, but these elements can be seen in other works of this style by other Architects, albeit there would be very few architects on island at the time with the finesse to design this structure. Manx National Heritage is of the view that the building is very likely to be by Baillie Scott and it is my view that the building could be by Baillie Scott, but, that attribution is not sufficient to warrant registration alone. If there was documentary evidence to prove this to be the case, I would be of the view that it would warrant registration alone. I do not agree, however with the view of the owner, that because there are better examples of his work, and the fact the Majestic was demolished, that this building should not be included on to the register. Baillie Scot’s works are rare enough and his acclaim and renown are sufficient to warrant registration, however this is not the case in my view until it can be proven.

Extent of Alteration: It is clear from the historic photos that the building has been altered, Alteration has occurred both externally and internally. Externally the roadside elevation was altered very early on with the introduction of a wooden veranda; this is evident in a number of historic photos from the 1890’s through to the mid-20th century that was then placed with a solid veranda possibly in the 1950’s. Although not part of the original design and the building has had a veranda since its construction with the exception of part of its first year. There is a single storey side extension and the roof has been replaced from normal clay tiles to pan 7 tiles, the larger dormer has been extended. To the Glen-side elevation there have been alterations to the openings at lower ground floor and the addition of a projecting extension at ground floor. The building does however maintain a number of distinctive architectural features including bay and oriel windows, chimney stacks, detailed brackets and is clearly still identifiable as the building in the historic photos. Internally it would appear the building has been considerably altered, the principal staircase remains and does limited amounts of coving. I would state that internally the building is of limited interest however those remaining features such as the staircase are.
Significance of the Resort: The 19th Century boom in tourism is a significant part of the island’s heritage which brought about much infrastructure and change to the island. I consider it to be noteworthy that neither of the objections to registration makes reference to this, nor the relationship the building has to the Glen itself. This is a point clearly made by all supporters of registration including Manx National Heritage. The Glen was developed as a resort and the building, irrespective of designer, was constructed in 1893 by Richard Maltby Broadbent at the entrance to the Glen. It is my view that the building is an intrinsic part of the Glen and as such represents a building associated with the Glen, as a resort, and the associated infrastructure. As stated by Manx National Heritage Groudle Glen is more intact than other resorts, an important element of that (the hotel) survives at the entrance to the Glen and adjacent to the Manx Electric Railway. It is my view that the Groudle Glen Hotel as part of the Groudle Glen resort and associated transport network is of special historic interest to the island.
Having assessed the information I consider there to be sufficient information to support the proposed registration in accordance with Town and Country Planning Act 1999 and RB/1 of PPS 1/01 and the Department’s newly agreed Operational Policy Principles of Selection for the Registration of Buildings in to the Protected Buildings Register. Conclusion After examining the available records and other relevant information, and having carefully considered the architectural and historic interest of this case, the criteria for entry to the Register of Protected Buildings are fulfilled and the Buildings Should be added to the Register. 8 Ross Brazier, Registered Buildings Officer Reasons for Registration Decision Groudle Glen Hotel is recommended for entry i

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