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Date: 1885 Type: Hotel Status: Extant   Click to view map Coordinates: 33°57'48.58" S 25°37'11.19" E Alt: 59m

The Grand Hotel was original constructed as a private house for Robert Dunlop Buchanan in 1867. It was designed by F M Pfeil and was known as "Dunlop House". The house changed occupant at least twice before it was acquired by James Brister in 1882. He renamed the house "Park House" and extended it towards Whites Road (now called John Kani Rd), roughly doubling its size. In June 1885 he advertised the house with 24 rooms to let but appears to have sold it shortly afterwards as in October of the same year Arnold Lipman opened it as the "Grand Hotel." The hotel was again sold in 1889 to Walter Burton, who changed the name to "Burton's Grand Hotel". Burton died in 1903 but the hotel continued to be run by his wife, Marie Louise, who added the extension along Prospect Hill in 1912. It was sold by their son in 1921 to William Henry Head, who carried out further extensions in 1924. In 1933 leased it to North Wells, who was later to buy it in 1945. It was during their ownership that the 1960s extensions were added along Belmont Terrace (now Athol Fugard Terrace) and later the new entrance off Prospect Hill, which obscured the views of the original house from the street. The family kept the hotel until 1980 when it was purchased by Mr Christodoulou. Sadly the original house was destroyed by fire on 30 December 1996 and plans to rebuild it never materialised. It is understood to have been sold again in about 2000 with unfortunate new parts replacing the original house. The whole of the hotel was refurbished in about 2017 but tragically had to close following the COVID pandemic in 2021. Currently (2022) it seem unlikely that it will reopen as a hotel. There is talk of it becoming student accommodation. Gerald Humphrey, May 2022)