Royal Clarence Hotel

History

The hotel was built in 1769 as the Assembly Rooms by William Mackworth Praed, a son of William Mackworth Praed (died 1752). He also developed the adjacent building on the corner of Martin's Lane for the Exeter Bank, of which he was one of the founding members, with John Duntze, Joseph Sanders and Daniel Hamilton.

The hotel provided "a commodious room for holding public balls, assemblies, concerts, &c.". In September 1770, an advertisement for the property was placed by its French manager, Pierre Berton, describing it as an "hôtel". By 1776, it was known as The Hotel. It subsequently took various names, including the Cadogen Hotel, Thompsons Hotel, and Phillips Hotel. In 1806, it was described as:

a large and commodious Inn, with elegant apartments and accommodation for people of the first Quality, with a large assembly-room in which are held the Assize Balls, Concerts and Winter assemblies, of the most distinguished persons of the City and County. In the front is a neat Coffee-room: the situation of the Hotel is very pleasant, as it opens to the Parade, and commands a noble view of the Cathedral.

The hotel was one of the leading coaching inns in Exeter. It was visited by Admiral Nelson in 1801, and was renamed as the Royal Clarence Hotel after a visit by Adelaide, Duchess of Clarence in July 1827. Franz Liszt performed with six other musicians in two concerts at the hotel on 28 and 29 August 1840 (a blue plaque on the building, erected by Exeter Civic Society in 2013, commemorated that event). Other visitors included Beatrix Potter in 1892, Thomas Hardy in 1915, and actors Clark Gable and Gary Cooper during the Second World War.

Between 2000 and 2015, the hotel was co-owned and run by celebrity chef Michael Caines, who set up ABode with business partner Andrew Brownsword. Brownsword bought the hotel in 2003 for £4.5 million.

Building

There was a range of medieval buildings on the site of the present buildings in Cathedral Yard. Some elements of these were retained in later reconstruction: the party wall between the Royal Clarence Hotel and the next property includes the remains of a 15th or 16th-century timber-framed side wall, two storeys high, belonging to a former building with roof line parallel to the street. The original 1769 building was partly remodelled in the Egyptian style in 1827, when it was also extended to incorporate the former Exeter Bank building adjoining Martin's Lane. Later alterations considerably changed the interior, though it retained its timber framing. It gained listed building status (Grade II) in 1953 as part of the group of listed buildings in Cathedral Yard.

2016 fire

On 28 October 2016 the hotel was gutted by a fire which began at 5 a.m. in an adjoining building part-used as an art gallery (the Castle Fine Art gallery), which was being converted at the time into luxury flats. Hotel guests were evacuated to the nearby Mercure Southgate Hotel, and no casualties were reported. The fire was later fuelled by a ruptured gas main, and part of the frontage of the building collapsed. The interior of the grade II listed building where the fire started, 18 Cathedral Yard, was also destroyed, and the two listed buildings between were damaged, but firefighters prevented the fire spreading to other historic buildings. Over a hundred firefighters attended the incident and it was necessary to draw water from the River Exe to fight the fire. The people of Exeter helped by giving the firefighters free food and messages of support, and by limiting their use of water.

After assessments were completed and remaining hotspots extinguished, demolition of the building started on 2 November, but there are efforts to salvage historically important material from the wreckage. The Christmas market in Cathedral Green has made provision for the independent traders who were closed since the fire. The hotel's owner, Andrew Brownsword, said on 31 October: "We have every intention to rebuild the hotel with enormous sympathy to its importance and heritage, and to make it once again a building that the City of Exeter will be proud of." A laser survey of the Royal Clarence made two years before the fire could help architects reconstruct the facade and the hotel. On 22 February 2017 archaeologists involved in the restoration and rebuilding of The Royal Clarence Hotel unearthed medieval pictures, including one of a peacock. It is estimated it will take three months to complete the deconstruction of the building, with every effort being made to save as many historical features as possible. It will take a total of 21 months to restore the facade front of the building and a modern design for the interior of the hotel.