The Claremont Hotel
The Claremont Hotel
The Claremont Hotel was built between 1851 and 1855 and was originally named after the 2nd Earl of Burlington, William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire. The hotel became a listed building in 1949.
Formerly owned by Sheikh Abid Gulzar, the Claremont was acquired in the mid-2010s by Daish’s Holidays.
At 08:50 GMT on 22 November 2019, a fire broke out in the basement of the hotel, which resulted in around 60 firefighters and 12 fire engines being sent to the hotel to extinguish the flames. The hotel was successfully evacuated with seven people injured with one being hospitalised; the nearby Pier Hotel was also evacuated. Fire continued to burn until the gas supply was successfully cut off on the evening of the 24 November.
The hotel was significantly damaged, with the adjoining Burlington Hotel remaining closed for a lengthy period also. Hopes of preserving parts of the hotel were abandoned when the remaining facade started to collapse during Storm Ciara in February 2020. This resulted in almost all of the remaining façade being subsequently demolished.