Duke of Cornwall Hotel

The Duke of Cornwall Hotel is a hotel in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. Built in Victorian Gothic style, it opened in 1865 to cater for the increasing number of travellers who were coming to the region by rail and sea.The hotel survived the World War II Plymouth Blitz without damage, and was the venue for regular functions throughout the war, even though the family that ran it were members of the fascist party and were removed from the city in 1944. In the 1970s and early 1980s it was threatened with closure but, helped by poet laureate John Betjeman's praise for its architecture, it was saved by a major refurbishment. Today it is considered to be one of Plymouth's principal landmarks.HistoryThe first steam train arrived at Plymouth Millbay railway station (now closed) on 2 April 1849. The increase of first class travel to the area led to an increasing demand for luxury accommodation and once the need for a quality hotel was recognised, a group of railway directors were appointed as the hotel's board of directors. They selected the architect C. Forster Hayward, who later designed the Swyddfa'r Sir in Aberystwyth to the same style but on a smaller scale. The builder was "Honest" John Pethick of Messers Hall and Pethick, who had already completed several jobs for the South Devon Railway Company including the rebuilding of Exeter St Thomas railway station and Newton Abbot and a hotel in Old Town Street of the city.