Regent Hotel, Corran Esplanade, Oban, Oban, Argyll and Bute

Description

Hotel comprised of 2 buildings of different dates, 1896 and 1936.

1896 BUILDING: 3-storey and attic over raised basement, 2-bay Scots Baronial hotel. Narrow asymmetrical street frontage with deep, triple pile rectangular plan. Annex to centre of S elevation, remains of earlier terrace. Stugged, squared and snecked sandstone, ashlar dressings, droved into arrises. Coursed grey granite rubble S elevation with grey granite dressings.

W (CORRAN ESPLANADE) ELEVATION: 2 bays, double height entrance doorway, arched and architraved, flanked by pilasters, consoles supporting pediment. 2-leaf, 7-panel timber storm doors with coloured leaded glass in traceried fanlight above. Doorway at basement (street) level centre bay, 2-leaf timber door with stud nails and decorative hinges. Paired windows in bay to left at principal, 2nd and 3rd floors, round-

arched to principal floor. Canted oriel window at 1st floor, heavily corbelled with curved brackets above pilasters, crenellated parapet, pedimented window to right. 3rd floor attic; stepped corbel table, right hand window breaking eaves with segmental pediment and ball finial, crowstepped gable to left bay 1 with pedimented windows, slit window in gablehead, ball finial. Pepperpot turret on corner to left, corbelled, with string course, window and conical, slated roof surmounted by weathervane.

N ELEVATION: 6 bays under from 3 gables. Corbel table at 3rd floor stepped at gable centres. Gables crowstepped, with apex stacks. Roll-moulded windows, bipartite and pedimented at 2nd floor. Bracketted cills at 2nd floor, pedimented windows at 3rd floor of gable to right. 3rd floor of centre gable with semi-superimposed dormers, crowsteps and ball finials flanking stack, pedimented datestone to left of centre bay. Stair windows at 2 upper intermediate levels in bay connecting W and centre gables, tripartite with roll-moulded transom and mullions. Pepperpot turret at E corner matching that at W.

S ELEVATION: 3 gables corresponding with N elevation, 3 storeys and attic with irregular fenestration. Gable to left crowstepped, skew copes to others. Stone-gabled, bipartite dormer window set between W and centre gable, stone-gabled dormer window set between centre and E gable. 2-storey and attic wing projecting from centre gable section.

Timber plate glass sash and case windows, grey slate roof, cast-iron down pipes and profiled gutters. Heavily coped gable stacks on N facade with decorative square cans.

INTERIOR: entrance lobby with panelled dado and granolithic floor. Matching benches flanking foot of 11-step stone stair to principal floor with brass handrails. Plaster rococo panel surrounds with pilasters between, swags and decorative cornice above. Principal floor hall, with coloured, leaded glass in S window, dado panelling around and extending up 6-flight timber stair, turned balusters and decorative newels with finials.

1936 BUILDING: James Taylor, 6-storey over raised basement including recent (since 1984) addition at 4th floor with mansard roof above.

8 bays and stair tower at S end. Extension to neighbouring hotel building in International Modern style, of rendered and painted concrete. Main block, rectangular plan, with tightly curved corners and original roof at 4th floor level, overhanging, with tubular handrail. Flanking, diagonally opposed, stair towers originally accessing roof terrace recently heightened by 2 storeys including mansard roof. Projecting single storey wings over basement at W front, parapeted with curved corners. Dining room wing to left, connecting stair to earlier hotel building to right. Planter fronting dining room wing integral with principal elevation. Entrance between wings, accessed by curved stair to terrace with glass-roofed canopy bearing script "Regent Hotel". Delivery pend/car park access to right of

building, crossed by 2 enclosed "bridges" at 1st and 4th floors, to

connect with earlier building.

W (FRONT) ELEVATION: rectangular window openings at bays 1-7, narrow window openings at bay 8. Stair tower windows at intermediate levels. Continuous string courses at cill level of storeys 1, 2, and 3. Applied vertical banding between windows of wings.

E (REAR) ELEVATION: 6 storeys including recent addition of upper floors, 8-bay facade with stair tower at N end. Regular grid of rectangular windows openings except for bay 1, 3 windows closely spaced, bay 3, 2 narrow windows on all but ground floor level. Narrow stair tower windows at intermediate levels, tall ground floor kitchen windows.

S STAIR TOWER: 6 storeys, including recently added storey to access new mansard roof. Windows on W face linked vertically by bead moulding. Layered decoration to left of W face.

N STAIR TOWER: 6 storeys with overhanging roof. Adjoining square windows on west and north faces, separated by tiled square column with curved outer corner. Metal Crittal type windows with casements in all original window openings. Curved glass at corners of front wings, metal band dividing, corresponding to canopy height, and rear ground floor (kitchen) windows. Modern grey-slated mansard roof containing

5th floor rooms.

INTERIOR: plain interior remaining much as built except for modern wallpapers and carpets. Timber entrance doors from porch to foyer with simply etched glazing, tubular black handles with chrome brackets. Reception desk with timber surround, black and red glazed tile columns. Clock on wall above with brass numerals and hands, flanked by reamlined horizontal decoration. Original fittings in principal floor male toilets, heavy cubical style urinals and basins with mirrors behind, cream tiles with green banding to walls.

Central section of original boundary wall at W front remaining.

Statement of Interest

1930's hotels are few in number compared with surviving roadhouses. The Regent would probably be the best preserved example of its type in Scotland, had it not been increased in height. Stair towers reminiscent of those at the Hoover Building, London. Boundary walls originally with drum gatepiers (removed since 1984) surmounted by globe lamps.

Cantilevered curved canopy over ground floor doorway on west front removed prior to 1980. It is not clear from old photographs whether the lower 2 glazing bars have been removed from the windows of the wings. Stylised architect's perspective shows them in place. The script over the canopy is recent, but in an appropriate style.

External Links

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