Grand Hotel Eastbourne
The Grand Hotel, built in 1875, has welcomed many of the great and the good over the years including Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin and Elgar. It is one of the UK’s most magnificent Victorian hotels.
Situated on the seafront at Eastbourne, it dominates the shoreline and enjoys a stunning outlook over the sea and, to the right, the cliffs at Beachy Head. Today, the Grand Hotel has been sympathetically restored to meet 21st century requirements and is an ideal base from which to explore Sussex or simply enjoy the excellent leisure facilities on site. These include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, health spa, well-equipped gym, sauna and steam room. Eastbourne offers numerous attractions while Glyndebourne Opera House, Sheffield Park Gardens, Drusillas Zoo, English Wine Centre, East Sussex Vineyards, The Royal Pavilion and the gentle rolling South Downs are all within easy reach.
The Grand Hotel, affectionately known as ‘The White Palace’, stands imperiously at the Western end of Eastbourne’s King Edward’s Parade.
Dominating the shoreline with its grand stature, this magnificent 19th century hotel is one of the finest of its kind, having welcomed a galaxy of the great and the good including Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, Arthur Conan Doyle and King Constantine of Greece.
On the 13th May 1874 the Eastbourne Gazette announced that local resident William Earp was proposing to build a magnificent hotel with a 400-foot frontage at a cost of £50,000. The result was The Grand Hotel, constructed in 1875 in a superb position facing the sea, with views of Beachy Head, surrounded by ornamental gardens and tennis courts.
The Grand Hotel was built when the upper classes ruled the land and took their holidays by the sea, sometimes months at the time, taking with them their entire staff. The Grand Hotel is famous for its long association with music. Debussy completed his symphony 'La Mer' in Suite 200 in 1905. The Grand Hotel Orchestra broadcasted live on BBC from the Great Hall every Sunday night from 1924 to 1939 on the programme “Grand Hotel” and Dennis Potter, whose Cream In My Coffee was filmed there, called it ‘a huge, creamy palace’.
During the Second World War, Eastbourne was easy prey to air raids and the hotel eventually closed down and became a military headquarters. The hotel was taken over by the De Vere Hotel Group in 1965.
In 1998 Elite Hotels acquired the property, and a complete refurbishment took place. The luxury 5-star accommodation, with 152 rooms, many of which overlook the sea has been sympathetically restored to its former glory, whilst being modernised to meet 21st century requirements.
152 Rooms
Mirabelle Restaurant, award winning cuisine, chef Keith Mitchell, dresscode: Jacket and collared shirt
The Garden Restaurant, elegant but more relaxed style, same dress code
The Lounge and Terrace, The BBC chose the Great Hall for their weekly broadcast 'Grand Hotel' featuring the hotel's Orchestra before the Second World War, all day light dishes and drinks
A special Grand Junior Afternoon Tea
The Grand Eastbourne Spa: spa treatments and kosmetics
The Health Club: well eqipped gymnasium, indoor and outdoor pool, sun terrace
Tennis, squash and badminton
15 different locations for functions or meetings of all kinds
Weddings