Palace Hotel Southport

On the sea-front. Brick, seventeen bays long, symmetrical with pavilion roofs. The unstressed parts have iron verandahs on two floors. [Pevsner N. Lancashire  Page 236] Developed by the Southport Hotel Company (funded mainly by Manchester merchants), the Birkdale Palace Hotel was built on a 20 acre site at the end of Weld Road, fronting the Birkdale shore. The 200 feet long luxurious hotel opened in 1866 at a cost of £60,000 with 75 bedrooms and magnificent reception rooms. In 1881 the hotel was completely refurbished and the grounds were reduced to five acres. A variety of baths were installed, a pipe built to draw in salt water from the sea. It re‑opened with over 60 staff, as a Hydropathic establishment to rival the very successful Smedley Hydro. Later, electric lighting was installed, produced by a steam driven generator. Its final owners went into liquidation in 1967 and the building was demolished in 1969.