Squatter Is Living In Huge 150-Year-Old Hotel All On His Own
A squatter is living in a huge 150-year-old hotel all on his own.
Tom moved into the dilapidated Grosvenor Hotel in Bristol after struggling to find support after leaving rehab, and has been living in the abandoned building for around six weeks.
Every night, the 30-year-old climbs the grand staircase to take his pick of bedroom for the night, and from up high he enjoys beautiful views of the city.
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"You can tell this place used to be the real crème de la crème," he said.
"Some of the wood, the dark mahogany wood, the wallpaper, the ornateness around the high ceilings, the detailed work.
"There is so much heritage here."
But the hotel is now a shadow of what it was when it was built back in 1875.
The historic building has been left unused for about two decades, with rotting furniture filling the rooms and graffiti covering the walls.
Making the ruin into a home is precarious for Tom, who has to be wary of dodgy flooring and non-existent ceilings.
Thus far, he has created a living room with a sofa, a table and a few chairs, as well as clearing some of the junk off the floor and painting a few of the walls.
Recalling how he ended up moving in, he said: "I had found a key card down an alleyway and it just happened that when I used it on the swipe, the door opened. But the door was already open.
"I thought it was to do with the key card but it really wasn't. I'm gradually, slowly tidying up each room one at a time."
Looking forwards, he thinks the hotel could potentially be used to house displaced Ukrainians.
However, the future of the building not clear as it is caught in a planning row, and Tom could be the last-ever resident of the Grosvenor Hotel.
The long-running saga of the 'eyesore' near Temple Meads station reached its latest chapter this week, with plans to use a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to acquire the former hotel in order to redevelop the land on which it is located.
The proposed CPO of the Grosvenor is part of a scheme expected to cost between £16.67m and £19.67m promised to deliver 'significant city benefits… as an outcome of the long term economic growth driven by the George and Railway project alongside the wider regeneration achieved through a joint development and land agreement'.
A decision on the future of the land and the buildings sitting on it – once bisected by a famous flyover – will be taken by Bristol's cabinet.
Bristol City Council senior development surveyor Jan Reichel said in her report: "The development will have the potential to achieve high sustainability outcomes, based on design proposals and the excellent accessibility of the developments at the heart of the Temple Quarter and near to Temple Meads Station."
But for now at least, Tom calls the historic building home.
He said: "I often think about the transition between the people on the outside of the building going about their day to day, trying to race for something.
"I'm sat here with infinite time, trying to collect myself in my own bits of meditation, but at the same time feeling like I can keep myself busy as there's a lot to do."
Jake Massey