Southwold Pier Hotel

Leisure Consultant: Martin Cartwright
Planning Consultancy: Peecock Short
Structural Engineer: MLM Consulting Engineers (now Sweco)

The booming ‘staycation’ industry of the early 2000’s was an incentive for the then-owners of Southwold Pier, Gough Hotels, to consider extending the Pavilion at the shore end of the Pier and converting it to provide ten 2-Bedroom holiday Apartments on the upper floors. The Restaurant and family-friendly Amusement Arcade would be retained and extended together with the popular Fish and Chip shop.

Barefoot and Gilles worked with Peecock Short to obtain planning permission for a design which continued the character of the original Pavilion. Built in 1936 the building reflects both the International and Art Deco styles of architecture which were prevalent in the design of seaside buildings in the 1930’s.

As the focal point of the seafront in one of the most popular seaside towns in the region, a Hotel which combined luxurious accommodation and panoramic seascapes would seem to be a major attraction for an affluent clientele. On a more practical note, the Hotel would be likely operate at a healthy level of occupation throughout the year and would even out the peaks and troughs of the more seasonal nature of visitors numbers to the Pier itself.

The location of the Hotel, however, also proved to be the downfall of the project as the cost of constructing a large structure which would need to resist the waves in winter proved to be prohibitive.

The project was great fun while it lasted though!