The oldest hotel in England collapses as flames burn the building.
Royal Clarence, described as England’s oldest hotel, collapsed following the blaze that broke in Exeter, Devon.
The Royal Clarence Hotel has stood on the same spot for 300 years that is why it is considered the oldest hotel in the country.
According to the authorities, the fire began at about 05:00 BST on Friday in buildings on Cathedral Green and spread to the hotel. The blaze is believed to have started at an art gallery in Exeter city centre before spreading to the building.
The fire did spread into the Laura Ashley store on the High Street but that has been contained.
Police brought in a drone to assess the structure of the building. One hundred ten firefighters were brought in to tackle the flames.
A hotel spokeswoman said: ‘Following the morning’s fire, all our guests and staff were evacuated and all are safe and accounted for.’
Guests were evacuated from their rooms in the middle of the night to the nearby Mercure. There were no reported casualties.
The Royal Clarence Hotel was built by William Mackworth Praed in 1769, whose family name derived from a Cornish heiress and shortly after its completion, what is believed to be the earliest reference to the word ‘hotel’ appeared in an advertisement, published by the then landlord, Pierre Berlon.
The hotel would stand strong during the 20th century and opened a cocktail bar in 1916 to help cheer up the city’s high society during the First World War.
A statement from the hotel owners, Andrew Brownsword Hotels, said: “We are immensely grateful for the tremendous efforts made by all the emergency services and especially the fire service, who have worked with such focus and determination throughout the night.
“The support offered by the Mercure Hotel, Exeter City Council and colleagues in Exeter at this difficult time has been overwhelming, and we thank everyone involved for their outstanding efforts and generosity.”
The group also thanked its own “incredible team of staff” who behaved with “positivity and professionalism” in managing the situation.