Closed Coventry hotel building given Grade II listed status

The Coventry landmark was built in 1897, Historic England said

The former home of an ex-coroner that was later converted into a hotel has been given Grade II listed status.

Dr Charles Webb Iliffe, who died in 1921 aged 77, was a prominent figure in Coventry and the city's poor law director, Historic England (HE) said.

The building on London Road changed ownership in 1930 and became The Chace Hotel.

The hotel closed in 2021, with its future use not yet known, HE said.

On its advice, HE added, the Coventry landmark, which was built in 1897, had been afforded Grade II listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The Chace's "striking frontage, with mock-Tudor timber framing and stone detailing to its brick facades, combined with its sumptuous interior and sweeping staircase, made it a sought-after location for events", HE stated.

The building was extended, but the listing only covers the original structure.

This event room at the venue has been used for weddings

The year before Dr Iliffe's death, he was appointed as a justice of the peace.

HE listing advisor Emily Sheen-Hutton said: "When it was built, The Chace was a statement of power and wealth at the height of... [Dr Iliffe's] influence in the city."