The Former Marine Hotel on Penarth dockside. Photograph: Morgan Ellis Leah.
The former Marine Hotel in Penarth, South Glamorgan in South Wales, is on the Victorian Society’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025.
Tragically, the Grade II listed Marine Hotel, dating from c.1865, has stood vacant and decaying since the early 1980s – over 40 years of dereliction.
Griff Rhys Jones, Victorian Society President said: ‘What? In posh and sought-after Penarth? This handsome hotel seeks care and attention? After failed schemes and stop-start suggestions, buildings do start to look tired, and developers start looking for excuses, but some enterprise must surely recognise the value in this elegant building and its amenities. A classic case of added value in the heritage building itself, with history and glamour thrown in. We are pleased to help advertise its availability for a sensitive restoration to its former glory.’
Without the construction of its docks in 1865, there would be no Penarth. At their peak, the docks exported over three million tons of coal annually, fuelling the Victorian town’s rapid expansion and prosperity. Alongside its industrial importance, Penarth flourished as a seaside resort, drawing Victorian holidaymakers- a legacy the town continues to enjoy today.
Built at the same time as the docks, the Marine Hotel and adjoining Customs Office, formed part of the Mercantile Marine Offices. Likely constructed by the Taff Vale Railway – its monogram still visible – the Marine Hotel was among several grand establishments serving dock workers and tourists alike. These included the Esplanade Hotel, Royal Hotel, Washington Hotel, Glendale, and Lansdowne. Today, only the Glendale and a few small bed and breakfasts remain.
The Marine Hotel played a pivotal role in the town’s industrial and social history and likely served in WWII when the docks became an American naval base supporting the D-Day landings. Following the war, the Mercantile Marine buildings were probably converted to residential use. Tragically, the Grade II listed Marine Hotel has stood vacant and decaying since the early 1980s – over 40 years of dereliction.
In 1987, the disused docklands were transformed into Penarth Marina. The redevelopment included dredging No. 1 Dock and the outer basin to create 350 yacht berths, surrounded by contemporary homes and marine businesses. The former Customs House became a thriving restaurant. Only the Marine Hotel remains derelict, its boarded façade standing in sharp contrast to its revitalised surroundings.
The marina was a catalyst for the wider redevelopment of Cardiff Bay, and in 2001, local restaurateur Martin Martinez opened the adjacent Old Custom House restaurant. In 2015, the Martinez family proposed a £6 million restoration of the Marine Hotel into a boutique hotel featuring 55 four-star rooms and a 100-seat cafeteria-wine bar. The scheme, which would have created 50 jobs and overlooked the marina, lapsed in 2017 due to funding issues.
Nine years on, with no redevelopment realised, the Marine Hotel has now been placed on the market for £2.25 million. Situated in one of the most affluent areas of the Vale of Glamorgan – where property prices remain buoyant – this may be the final opportunity to restore a vital piece of Penarth’s maritime and architectural heritage.
James Hughes, Director, The Victorian Society said: ‘The Marine Hotel is an irreplaceable link to Penarth’s proud dockside past. After four decades of decay, this sale is a last chance to bring the building back from the brink and give it the future it deserves.’
Former Marine Hotel Penarth next to the restored Customs House on the right. These buildings formed part of the Mercantile Marine Offices on the dockside. Photograph: Morgan Ellis Leigh.
The full Top Ten Endangered Buildings list 2025 of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, and the archive of our previous Top Ten lists can be viewed here.