Historic England has remarked that it "epitomises the austere approach of the modernists in the immediate pre-war era, and suggests the designer's acquaintance with contemporary work in Rome and elsewhere".

[5][6] During World War II, the hotel was used to house disabled evacuee children under the age of 14, with most of them coming from London area.

[8] In c. 1960, the single-storey sections of the two accommodation blocks were extended to make them two-storey, increasing the total number of bedrooms to around 100, and a ballroom was built.

[2][1] The ballroom suffered a fire in December 1960, leaving a 15 foot hole through its wooden floor and a load of debris in the billiard room below.

[9] Another fire occurred in August 1968, damaging the ballroom, bar, café, nursery and billiard room, areas all within the central part of the hotel.