04 Nov Fire destroys oldest hotel
A building considered historic in the English tourism industry is to be demolished after it collapsed during a fierce fire.
The blaze in the Royal Clarence Hotel in Exeter started in a nearby art gallery and spread to the building which was built in the 17th century. The fire which raged opposite Exeter cathedral in the centre of the city also ravaged a number of neighbouring historic buildings.
The Royal Clarence had been a popular tourist destination since it was the first hostelry in England to adopt the French word ‘hotel’. Previously such buildings providing accommodation had been known as ‘Inns’.