Hotel’s 36ft chandelier that puts rest in shade
THE tallest chandelier in Europe, measuring 36 feet, has been installed at a British seaside hotel.
The suspended light, which features 25,000 individual lead crystals and weighs a quarter of a ton, took more than six months to design and build.
It is now the crowning glory of the four-star Hythe Imperial Hotel, in Hythe, near Folkestone, Kent.
Installed during a multi-million pound refurbishment, the chandelier required more than two tons of structural steel to support it from the atrium ceiling.
Chandelier makers Wilkinson, of Sittingbourne, Kent, say it is easily the biggest they know of.
Owner David Wilkinson said: “It is the tallest chandelier we have manufactured and the tallest in the UK. Also, we cannot find any records of anything taller being installed anywhere in Europe.
“Installing something of that size in a busy hotel presents challenges and took a great deal of planning.
“But the work went pretty much to plan and the end result is something quite spectacular.”
Hythe Imperial’s executive director Nick Gauntlett said: “Our new chandelier is a real centrepiece at the heart of the hotel.
“The craftsmanship and attention to detail really shines through and it will be a talking point for guests for many years to come.” All four floors at the hotel have been refurbished. The 36ft chandelier, right, at the Hythe Imperial Hotel, above