The restoration of Leicester’s Grand Hotel transformed the appearance of one of Leicester's most prominent listed buildings. Over time, piecemeal alterations had eroded the architectural quality of the ground floor.
Oversized fascias, shallow aluminium shopfronts, roller shutters and fragmented frontages have been replaced by a Victorian composition of traditionally detailed timber shopfronts, polished granite, Portland stone, decorative ironwork, deep recessed entrances and coordinated signage.
The reinstated principal hotel entrance and canopy once again establish the building as a focal point, restoring its civic presence on Leicester's principal route between the railway station and the city centre.
The Grade II listed Grand Hotel has occupied a prominent position on Granby Street for more than 125 years and forms a key part of Leicester's historic commercial core.
Decades of incremental change had diminished the appearance of one of Leicester's finest Victorian buildings. Leicester City Council and Historic England identified the hotel as a flagship project within Leicester's High Street Heritage Action Zone programme.
The project sought to demonstrate how targeted public investment in heritage could stimulate wider private investment, strengthen the public realm and contribute to the regeneration of Granby Street.
| Client | The Grand Hotel Leicester |
|---|---|
| Funding partners | Historic England and Leicester City Council |
| Architect and principal designer | Hickman & Smith Architects |
| Heritage consultant | TDR Heritage |
| Quantity Surveyor | Gateley RJA |
| Structural engineer | Diamond Wood & Shaw |
| Planning and building control | Leicester City Council |
| Main contractor | Trinity Renovations |
| Specialist joinery | Phillips Joinery |
| Phase 2 joinery | Norray Joinery |
| Specialist stone masonry | Powell Masonry |
| Mosaic and marble restoration | Mosaic Restoration |
| Asbestos survey | Lucion |
| Ironmongery schedule | Access Architectural |
| Metalwork | Calibre Metalworks |
| Portland stone supplier | Albion Stone |
| Timber supplier | Blunt's Joinery Supplies |
| Security glazing manufacturer | Pilkington |
| Lime plaster manufacturer | Lime Green Products |
| Lime mortar manufacturer | Saint-Astier |
| Lighting | Edit Lighting |
| Interior designer | Bell & Swift |
The new Sports Hall at Leicester Grammar School is a modern four-court facility that supports curriculum PE, sport, training, competition and wider community use.
A new food shop was created for Central Coop whilst safeguarding the long-term future of the adjoining Bluebell Inn in Desford.
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