The Queens Trees

Continuing the Christmas theme (sorry, but it is everywhere!) here is The Queens hotel, all bedecked for the festive season.

Have a good weekend. Last one before the big day!

Morgan

This is what you call a proper car. None of that modern rubbish but real design and quality. That is Morgan. At least I think so. This fine example belongs to Hotel On The Park in Cheltenham, and advertises the in-house restaurant Parkers. The hotel overlooks Pitville Park and the vintage car suits the hotel perfectly. Classy.

Green Pot

One last photo from the Hotel Kandinsky. This is one of a pair of old faded pots outside the main entrance, at the foot of the stairs. I hope that they don't scrap them in the hotel makeover.

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Hoarding Art

As I mentioned yesterday the hoardings surrounding the construction site that is Hotel Kandinsky have been brightened up with art. The paintings have been created by local school children and some, like this one, are really good. I like how they've been 'framed'.

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Fine Details

They certainly knew how to finish off a building in days gone by didn't they? You wouldn't see fantastic detailed sculpture like this on new buildings. Does anyone out there know what this styled topping is called? I have no clue. It looks like feathers or leaf fronds...

It is one of several, high up on the Hotel Kandinsky in Montpellier, which is undergoing a complete refurbishment inside and out. The hotel shut in September last year and is expected to reopen in the Autumn. Tomorrow I'll show you the very artistic hoardings that surround the site.

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Little Italy

I've not been feeling very inspired of late and was looking through my archive to find something to post today. I found this photo, which I took in January. The reason I photographed this building was due to the columns at the top, I thought they looked interesting. As I've looked more closely at the shot I've realised the building is in fact a hotel (I had no clue it even existed!) I typed in their web address and found Strozzi Palace - a real hidden gem. This quote from their site says it all - "We're chic and boutique - with modern Italian flair. Built in 1894, our amazing Grade 2 listed 'Palazzo' façade is based on the beautiful Palazzo Strozzi – one of the most important examples of renaissance architecture in Florence." Visit Strozzi Palace here. Its posh, even for Cheltenham!

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Millennium Plaza

These rather funky, urban looking apartments have just been built on the corner of Portland Street and Albion Street, right on the Inner Ring Road. To my mind its not the best place to live in Cheltenham but I bet there are good views from the balconies and more so the Penthouse. One of the apartments in this development is rented out as an hotel room, which is very odd in a residential building. Well it is round here. This new build sits on the sit of a former restaurant that was doomed from the start. The Millennium Restaurant was a space-age themed diner, and the building stood out like a sore thumb. It was built at the end of the 90's and it had a huge roof that was pitched like a birds wings in mid flight. I wish I had a picture to show you! The place only lasted a couple of years and sat empty for much of the start of the new millennium before being demolished last year. I don't think Regency Cheltenham was quite ready for the New Millennium!

Cowardly Lion

One of things I love about Daily Photo Blogging is that you take a photo of something you've seen dozens of times, go to post it and realise you know nothing about it. A quick look on the Internet soon fills in the blanks, and you've learnt something new about the place you call home.

This coat of arms is above the porch of John Dower House, in Crescent Place. The building is now the headquarters of the government body The Countryside Commission, but the coat of arms belongs to one of Britain's former Kings. The imposing building was built in 1820 and was opened as Fisher's Boarding House, but it was soon renamed Clarence Hotel. The renaming was due to a stay in 1827 by Adelaide, Duchess of Clarence. She was the wife of the future King William IV. In 1858 the County police force set up its headquarters in the former hotel and stayed until 1970. The Countryside Commission moved into the building in 1974 and has been there since.

One of the websites I looked at refereed to the Lion as being like the one from the Wizard of Oz! I agree!


Something I can't answer is - Who was/is John Dower?.... Something else to discover...

Royal Rooms

The Queens Hotel, positioned at the top end of the Promenade, is something of a local landmark. It is a hotel full of grandeur and opulence and its reception and lobby are quite impressive (by Cheltenham standards at least!). The hotel was built in 1837, at a cost of £47,000, and opened the following year. The hotel, to be originally named The Royal Victoria Hotel, sits on the site of the Imperial Spa. The spa was bought in 1830 by Robert and Charles Gearrad who designed and built the hotel. Over the years the hotel has played host to many famous visitors to Cheltenham including Edward VII, Margaret Thatcher and Bob Hope. During the Second World War the hotel was home to the American Services Club. More recently french chef Raymond Blanc has opened a brasserie in the hotel which I can recommended for an excellent meal.