Great Western Hotel, Corran Esplanade, Oban, Oban, Argyll and Bute

Entry Name: Great Western Hotel, Corran Esplanade, Oban

Listing Name: Corran Esplanade, Great Western Hotel

Listing Date: 20 July 1971

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 384294

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB38822

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Oban, Corran Esplanade, Great Western Hotel

ID on this website: 200384294

Location: Oban

County: Argyll and Bute

Town: Oban

Electoral Ward: Oban North and Lorn

Traditional County: Argyllshire

Tagged with: Hotel

Description

Charles Wilson of Glasgow, 1862-3. 4-storey and attic, 7-bay central main block flanked symmetrically to N and S by 2-storey and attic over raised basement, 3-bay wings. Classical hotel with Italianate detailing, plainer wings. Rectangular plan main block and wings with dining room annex of 1880 to rear. Rendered front elevation with coursed rubble to rear elevations, and E wings. Stugged, squared and snecked basement with string course above. String courses at 3rd floor cill and lintel levels. Decorative dentilled and bracketted cornice at eaves.

W (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical 7-bay centre block. Centre bay slightly advanced with wide, straight forestair to principal floor, cast-iron hand rails. Quatrostyle portico at top, inner and outer columns round and square respectively, corresponding pilasters framing entrance door and flanking windows behind. Entablature decorated with dentilled cornice and blind balustrade above, canted window with cornice and blocking course at 1st floor. Portico flanked by large modern canted windows on artificial stone basements, spanning 3 bays each side. 1st and 2nd floor windows regularly spaced, tripartite at 2rd floor centre bay. Large pedimented rendered dormer with 5-light, architraved, arcaded window, closely spaced, with cill course. 1st floor windows with architraves and consoled cornices. 2nd floor windows architraved with scroll details at cills. N wing, stugged, squared and snecked basement, with string course above. Principal floor windows with cills, architraved and corniced, margins to 1st floor windows, extending into brackets below eaves cornice. Strip pilaster at N end of elevation. S wing, as N wing, but 2-storey canted window at centre.

E (REAR) ELEVATION: 5-storey centre block with central 2-bay portion raised 1-storey corresponding with stone dormer on W elevation. 4-storey 4-bay wing, projecting to E, stair windows at S front, bay 2, with raised portion breaking eaves at head of bay. Adjoining 2-storey, 5-bay annex to S, bipartite windows to principal (upper) floor, S elevation advanced at bay 3, with gable above, bipartite window in E gablehead.

4-pane timber sash and case windows to 1st and 2nd floors of central block W elevation, plate glass timber sash and case windows elsewhere. 4-pane sash and case windows to principal and 1st floors of central block E elevation, 8-pane timber sash and case windows widows to 2nd and 3rd floors. 8 and 4-pane sash and case windows to E elevation of south wing. Grey slate roofs, mansard to W front, piended to rear of centre block, pitched to N, S, and E wings. Segmental arched dormers to W front, some bipartite, piend-roofed dormers to E, with bipartite windows. Cast-iron downpipes to N and S wings, and to E elevation. Multi-flue stacks to end gables of main block, N, S, and E wings. Cast-iron railings to entrance steps.

Statement of Interest

Dean of Guild Court plans record alterations by Ross & MacKintosh 1884, Baird & Thomson 1900, G. Woulfe Brenan 1910 and R. W. Campbell 1936. With its prominent waterfront position, this is potentially one of Oban's finest hotels, spoiled by out of character modernisation of the entrance steps and principal floor windows of the W front. Although part of the original Wilson Terrace, the Westbay Hotel is listed separately.

External Links

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