Devonshire House, Devonshire Road
| Devonshire House, Devonshire Road | |
|---|---|
 | |
| LL ref: | 180 |
| Start date: | 1886 |
| Architect: | unknown |
| Builder: | John William Webb |
| Original use: | Hotel |
| View on map: | |
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This imposing building on the corner of Devonshire Road and Devonshire Square (formerly Station Square) was built as a hotel in 1886. It is of four storeys, brick walling with rendered on the ground floor and window and door surrounds on other floors. An impressive porch was included to the main entrance to Devonshire Road. The top storey was partially within the roof space. A full four-storey extension was added to the east side in 1929.
This was one of the major buildings of the Egerton Park Estate laid out by John William Webb in the 1880s on land acquired in part payment for construction of the sea wall for the Earl de la Warr. As the town developed, the hotel became more commercial in character as opposed to the sea-front hotels that catered purely for visitors. Both the ‘Devonshire’ and ‘Castle’ hotels were used extensively for the early social functions of the town. After the opening of the larger sea-front hotels such as the The Sackville and Metropole, they continued to provide venues for tradesmen’s events as opposed to the more prestigious events. Three brothers shared the ownership of the Devonshire – Sydney George, Frederick Charles, and Richard Cecil Sewell.