Faded no more: the return of British seaside resorts’ grand hotels

Many coastal towns are seeing a post-pandemic resurgence, with new builds and stately piles being returned to their former grandeur

• Rowan Moore: Historic British seaside hotels are glorious white elephants, but perhaps they can have new lives

The Grand is a dog-eared Cluedo board of a hotel. The art deco ballroom, its sprung dancefloor covered by carpet, opens into a library used for community events, which in turn leads to an enormous dining room, while the other wing has a billiards room.

Everything in this Folkestone landmark is a bit higgledy-piggledy: spare tables and chairs shoved to one side, curtains askew, a grand piano here and there. A 1920s-style mural completes the Agatha Christie feel. There’s even a stray three-pronged candlestick.