Royal Hotel, Longhope, Hoy, Stromness and South Isles, Orkney Islands

Entry Name: Royal Hotel, Longhope, Hoy

Listing Name: South Walls (Hoy), Longhope, Royal Hotel, Including Boundary Wall

Listing Date: 31 January 2002

Category: C

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 395727

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB48341

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200395727

Location: Walls and Flotta

County: Orkney Islands

Electoral Ward: Stromness and South Isles

Parish: Walls And Flotta

Traditional County: Orkney

Tagged with: Hotel building

Description

W R Lethaby (architect) and T Smith Peace of Peace Builders (contractor and architect), 1903-1910; with minor addition. 2-storey; L-plan hotel. Vernacular revival design with crowstepped gables, deep overhanging eaves and tall chimney stacks with deep tapered coping above narrow band course. Coursed rubble, harled. Cills extended slightly to either side of windows; 1st floor windows largely square where adjoining eaves. N ELEVATION: 5-bay. Central entrance with rectangular-plan piended roofed porch; entrance with panelled timber door; large flanking windows; identical windows to both returns. Window above and one to each floor to flanking bays. Narrow 1st floor window in between 2nd and 3rd bays from left. W ELEVATION: 5-bay; built into ground sloping upwards to right. Gabled bay to outer left; central window (formerly entrance) with projecting pediment above; narrow window to right (former one to left now blocked); window centred above. Lean-to porch to entrance to outer right; window to front; entrances to flanking returns (both with timber doors, that to right panelled); narrow window set back to right. Window to each floor to central 3 bays; 2 to left of ground narrower. S ELEVATION: gable end of one of main wings projects slightly to left; window to right of ground floor; 2 windows to 1st floor. Window to each floor set back to right; narrow window to left of 1st floor. E ELEVATION: gable end of one of main wings projects to right; central window to each floor; evidence of former extension to right return; ground floor window to left. Gable end set back to left; entrance (with boarded timber door) to right; 2 windows to 1st floor (that to right narrow). Small flat-roofed single storey addition to central section (infilling space between short left wing and main wing to right); 4 narrow windows; 2 windows set back to 1st floor (that to right narrow); window above to left return of right wing. Mainly 12 and 8-pane timber sash and case windows; 8-pane casements (to 1st floor of N and W elevations). Stone Caithness slate roof. Gablehead stacks to S (one of main wings) and E (short projecting section to left); 3 ridge stacks; all with deep coping, tapered towards apex, above narrow band course; round cans. INTERIOR: ground floor substantially altered. BOUNDARY WALL: coursed rubble wall with rubble coping encloses remaining area of rectangular-plan site to N and E. Pair of partially rendered square-plan gatpiers (probably later) to N; each with ball-finialled pyramid coping.

Statement of Interest

A distinctive local landmark, by the prominent Arts and Crafts architect, W R Lethaby, in Hoy. The chimney stacks with their deep tapered coping are very much in his style, as are the lower height 1st floor windows along the eaves. Lethaby worked for Thomas Middlemore, who purchased the nearby Melsetter Estate (which included the entire island) in 1898. He remodelled the house and surrounding buildings at Melsetter in keeping with vernacular traditions. During World War I it was used as the office of the admiral commanding naval operations in Orkney and Shetland and a wireless station was created alongside it (Burrows). A photograph of 1921 shows it more or less as it is today (including the entrance porches). See separate list descriptions for Melsetter House, Estate Office, Laundry House and Spinning Cottage; also Rysa Lodge. Other buildings designed in the style of Lethaby include Melsetter Farmhouse (see separate list description).

External Links

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