Built in 1860, the unimposing Grosvenor was once part of a group of
coaching inns on Brighton Road, which is deeply
entrenched in the early settlement of Victoria, given there
were coach stops along the first track to the MorningtonPeninsula. The original
owner of the building was Henry Wills, and the first licensee was Daniel Lilton Reed in 1865.
The Argus
records that a meeting of the Church of England was held at the Grovsenor on 18 September
1870.
Architects Crouch and
Wilson called for
tenders for stuccowork in 1879. Spanish mission style alterations were designed
by architect Harry A. Norris, and constructed by builder JW Pinnock
in 1928.Norris’s style was considered
ahead of its time and this hotel is a reflection of his architecturally
progressive outlook.
