Weymouth: Queen Victoria jubilee bust

Most visitors to the seaside town of Weymouth are there for the sun and the sandy beach and the various forms of holiday entertainment. 

Not me. I go primarily for the wildlife (birds, butterflies, dragonflies, etc., depending on the season) but I also enjoy walking around the older streets near the harbour, admiring the town's architectural and historical features. 

This is one I spotted during my most recent visit: a bust of Queen Victoria, attached to the front facade of the Fairhaven Hotel to celebrate her golden jubilee in 1887. 

It seems the 1897 date was added a decade later, when Queen Victoria celebrated her diamond jubilee.

Nowadays, the Fairhaven Hotel is an amalgamation of five separate properties that were probably all constructed in the 19th century. 

According to the Historic England website, the part of the Fairhaven to which the bust is attached, the Grade II listed building at 41 – 43 The Esplanade, was originally two separate mid-19th-century houses, 'possibly encasing late C18 work', with the addresses 7 and 8 Augusta Place. 

At some point these houses were amalgamated to become the Victoria Hotel, and the building has subsequently been The New Vic Bar and Restaurant, as well as forming part of the complex of buildings that made up the Fairhaven Hotel.

As you can perhaps tell from my photo of the building, it is not currently in use, and looks to be in a state of some disrepair. 

Looking at listings on the Savills property website, for a guide price of £25,000 per annum, you could rent, or possibly even purchase, this 'bar/restaurant situated in prime Weymouth seafront location with panoramic sea views'. The colourful bust of Queen Victoria would be an added bonus!