The Riviera Hotel was of modernist design built of reinforced concrete and completed in 1937, an additional storey to a sympathetic design was added later. However there was a delay in opening the proposed luxury hotel as the owner went bankrupt before the building was completed.
During the Second World War it was used as accommodation for disabled evacuee children.
In 1958 it became part of Fred Pontin’s chain and was later sold a number of times.
In 1960 and 1968 it suffered fire damage. It was granted listed building status but is currently in a state of disrepair. In 2023 it was listed on the Twentieth Century Society’s “Buildings at Risk” register.
As a child the writer’s first impression of the Riviera was that it looked like a ship at the other end of the bay.
