The former Marine Hotel is a Grade II listed building that dates back to around 1865 but has stood vacant since the early 1980s. Former Marine Hotel, Penarth (Image: Morgan Ellis Leah)The construction of the docks in Penarth saw a period of rapid expansion and prosperity during Victorian times, allowing it to flourish as a seaside resort and draw in holidaymakers – a legacy that it still enjoys. Built at the same time as the docks, the Marine Hotel and adjoining Customs Office formed part of the Mercantile Marine Offices and was among several grand establishments serving dock workers and visitors. In 2015, the Martinez family, who opened the adjacent Old Custom House in 2001, proposed a £6 million restoration of the Marine Hotel into a boutique hotel featuring 55 four-star rooms and a 100-seat cafeteria-wine bar. Almost a decade later, the Marine Hotel falls further into dereliction, its boarded windows a sharp contrast to its surroundings.