Until the late 19th Century accommodation choices for men ‘down on their luck’ were limited and basic, consisting of workhouse casual wards, charity hostels and common lodging houses (doss-houses). In the 1890s Lord Rowton, one of the founders of the Guiness Trust, established a somewhat different type of hostel. After conducting a survey of living conditions in the East End of London Rowton decided to establish a better class of hostel, investing a large sum of his own money.
The hostel opened in 1892 in what is now Bondway, in Vauxhall, London. By 1906 another 5 ‘
Rowton Houses’, as they became known, had opened in London. Vauxhall and Camden (refurbished and somewhat re-visioned
Arlington House) remained as hostels (fully and partly) until recently, whilst Whitechapel (Tower House) has been converted to smart
residential accommodation, being described as a 'converted warehouse'. .
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| Paragon Hotel |
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| Paragon Hotel |
A Rowton House was erected in on Alcester Street, Highgate Park, Birmingham in 1903 designed by the architect Harry Bell Measures who also designed the London Houses. The
Birmingham Rowton House could accommodate over 800 men, each paying 6d. a night for one of its bed cubicles. In the mid-1990s the building was refurbished to a high standard as a hotel, more recently becoming
The Paragon Hotel and earning Grade 2 listed building status.
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| Paragon from Highgate Park side |
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| Paragon Hotel |
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| Foundation Stone laid by HRH Princess Helena 1903 |
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| Hotel restaurant |
The hotel currently supports
two charities, Macmillian Cancer Support and When you Wish Upon a Star, 'Dream Making for Sick Kids'.
Should you wish to stay in this amazing building, you may book
here.
