Finding an article on the opening of a hotel is a great start to research. Finding one for the Swanage Grand Hotel did pose some questions which I needed to answer. In the article it mentioned that the hotel had been built by the Davis brothers "on Spec". It wasn't until I saw something on television (it may have been Grand Designs) explaining what "on Spec" means that I realised the hotel had been built by the Davis brothers for them to sell on when it was finished. After a whole afternoon of searching in newspaper articles I finally found it; an article about licenses being given to new hotels. In October 1897, a new hotel called the Burlington had been granted a provisional license and the license had been granted to Samuel Miller Davis, who I knew was a builder. The Grand Hotel is on Burlington Road near Ulwell and so it all fitted. This puts the opening date of the hotel two years earlier than I thought and one year earlier than the Grand Hotel themselves think. Lots to write about next week I think.
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