The Clermont, Victoria

The Clermont, Victoria
Location within Central London
General information
Location	Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0SJ, United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°29′45″N0°08′43″W / 51.4957°N 0.1453°W / 51.4957; -0.1453
Opened	1862 (1862)
Management	Clermont Hotel Group
Design and construction
Architect	James Thomas Knowles
Other information
Number of rooms	348
Number of suites	10
Website
Official website

The Clermont, Victoria, originally known as The Grosvenor Hotel, is a historic hotel in Victoria, London opened in 1862. It is Grade II* listed for its architectural and historic interest, being cited as "one of the first buildings in London to use a French pavilion roof". ^[1]

History

With Victoria station being opened in 1860, the hotel was built to service travellers with one of its entrances leading into the station concourse. ^[2] It was developed by John Kelk who had been involved in construction of the Victoria Station and Pimlico Railway and would also develop much of the Grosvenor Gardens area. ^{[3] [4]}

In 2025, plans for a nearby playground were advised against with the Grade II* listed hotel's view being harmed as one of the cited reasons, although it was stated not to be a primary concern. ^[5]

Architecture

The hotel is built largely of yellow brick and Bath stone with rustication on the ground floor. Designed by James Thomas Knowles, the hotel's design is eclectic in style but mainly pulls on motifs of French Renaissance and Baroque as well as Italianate architecture. Its French Renaissance inspired design set the precedent for the later developments of similar character and style in the nearby Grosvenor Gardens with Thomas Cundy III serving as their architect. ^[6] Together they make up the Grosvenor Gardens conservation area. ^[7]

References

1. "Grosvenor Hotel, Non Civil Parish – 1357254 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
2. "Access Restricted". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
3. https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-38855?rskey=oPFNMk&result=1 Retrieved 17 December 2025
4. The builder. Getty Research Institute. London : [s.n.] 1842.
5. Grant, Harriet (7 February 2025). "Anger as council prioritises London hotel view over playground plan". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 17 December 2025.
6. https://docs.planning.org.uk/20210114/115/QMU6JTRPFGG00/k5h6kbz30kxg25vr.pdf Retrieved 17 December 2025
7. https://www.westminster.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/documents/Grosvenor%20Gardens%20Conservation%20area%20audit%20SPG.pdf Retrieved 17 December 2025