A local landmark hotel is being demolished to build a new Wetherspoons along our seafront. I have mixed emotions about this as the hotel had been there for 140 years. A local woman inherited money and invested in building a hotel right at the beginning of the Victorian seaside holiday rush for us here in Ilfracombe. She was a bit of a character by all accounts. The war office requisitioned it during the war and after refurbishing it after that it was successful until the eighties and has steadily declined since then. The owners used to drink in the bar and it was a lovely bar in my to younger days; renowned for the bar olympics…….you had to get from the door to the back of the bar and back again without touching the floor
It is sad to see it boarded up though and as Ilfracombe has a lot of problems with it’s pubs it will be nice if it is somewhere sensible to go for a quiet drink as it is nearly impossible now.
Its always sad to see a local landmark go but maybe its replacement will be a boon for your town
ReplyDeleteIt is sad when this happens and it's a shame Wetherspoons didn't renovate the old place. Still, it will be lovely when it's done.
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