Grosvenor Hotel opened in 1888 as one of the first Hotels in Southsea to cater for the growing number of wealthy individuals from London wishing to holiday on the coast. A Francis Frith photograph from 1890 shows guests arriving from the train station by horse and carriage.Craig Powell, Associate Director, Holloway Iliffe & Mitchell commented:
“Residents would have enjoyed the panoramic views from every floor across Southsea Common toward The Solent and the four forts, which were completed in 1880, built for the protection of Portsmouth and it's harbour from sea attack and bombardment”
The original ‘Royal Sailors Rest’ was established by Agnes Weston in 1881 at 172 & 174 Commercial Road, Portsmouth but after World War II possibly due to bomb damage they relocated to the Grosvenor Hotel which now became ‘Agnes Western House’.
Agnes Western played an important role in Royal Naval history founding the ‘Royal Sailors Rest’ which provided baths, lodgings and recreational activities and facilities to naval crew on shore leave. Agnes originally set up the rest as a temperance house to help prevent alcoholism and keep their residents from causing disruption on the streets.
Agnes died in 1918 having set up Rests in Devonport, Portsmouth, Portland and Sheerness but the Royal Sailors Rest (RSR) charity survives to this day, still located in Portsmouth.
In 1967 the Queen Mother visited the property to review the charities work and was given a tour of the building by senior Royal Navy personnel.
The building was sold in 1975 to a charity providing accommodation to retired workers from the dairy industry. Until 2011 the property provided long term accommodation for these tenants.
In September 2011 Holloway Iliffe & Mitchell were appointed to sell the building as the charity required funds to provide bursaries to colleges and universities for research in dairy related subjects.
With a guide price of £1 million there was a substantial amount of interest from parties including student accommodation providers, retirement apartment developers and residential builders and the sale due to complete in February 2012 to an established Portsmouth based Hotelier who intends to restore the property to its former glory.
