The Grand Brighton Hotel is a historic Victorian sea front hotel in Brighton on the south coast of England. Designed by John Whichcord Jr. and built in 1864, it was intended for members of the upper classes visiting the city, and remains one of Brighton's most expensive hotels. During the 1984 Conservative Party conference, the hotel was bombed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in an attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. History The Grand Hotel was designed by architect John Whichcord Jr., and built in 1864 on the site occupied previously by the West Battery at Artillery Place, one of Brighton's 18th-century coastal fortifications. It was built for members of the upper classes visiting Brighton and Hove and remains one of the most expensive hotels in the city. Among its advanced engineering features at the time was the "Ascending Omnibus", a hydraulically-powered lift powered by cisterns in the roof. This was the first lift built in the United Kingdom outside London, at a time when only two others had been installed. The building itself is an example of Italian influence in Victorian architecture. 1984 bombing The hotel was bombed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the early morning of 12 October 1984, in an attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during the Conservative Party conference. The bomb exploded at 2:51am. It had been hidden three weeks earlier behind the bath panel of room 629. Thatcher survived the bombing, but five other people were killed in the attack, including Roberta Wakeham, wife of the government's Chief Whip John Wakeham, and the Conservative MP Sir Anthony Berry. Norman Tebbit, a member of the Cabinet, was injured, along with his wife Margaret, who was left paralysed. Thatcher insisted that the conference open on time the next day and made her speech as planned in defiance of the bombers, a gesture which won widespread approval across the political spectrum. The hotel was re-opened on 28 August 1986. The re-inauguration was attended by Thatcher who spoke at a reception to celebrate the reopening. Tebbit accompanied her during the reopening. Concorde flew low from the south to salute the opening. Later history The hotel belonged to the De Vere Group, beginning in the 1990s. De Vere Hotels undertook a multimillion-pound refurbishment of The Grand which was completed in 2013. Another refurbishment project concluded in 2019. On 15 October 2011, the