Among the Société’s collection of historic architectural drawings held in the Lord Coutanche Library is an enigmatic set of four drawings of a proposed hotel in St Clement’s bay. The date is 1862. This is a substantial hotel with around 50 bedrooms, and a large number of rooms were dedicated to sitting and various forms of relaxation, as the ground floor plan shows. The exterior design is in the classical style. The architects were George Eves and Charles Shoppee of 61 Doughty Street, London.
No details are given of the client, and there is no address or site plan showing the hotel’s intended location. However, a cross-section drawing shows that the building was positioned behind a promenade, right on the sea edge.
Anyone with any knowledge of this mid 19th century project is invited to share information with Stuart Fell, Architecture Section Chair, in the hope that this minor mystery of architecture and tourism may be solved.
Architecture Chair – Stuart Fell
Architecture@societe.je
