Hotel Edgcumbe
In the early hours of the 28th August 1919 a fire devastated the Hotel Edgecumbe on Narrowcliff. Within ten minutes, the sixty-five guests and staff were forced to evacuate in their night attire as the building was swiftly engulfed in smoke and flames. Mr Baugh from Birmingham, who hadn’t heard the alarm, awoke to find the corridors enveloped by smoke. In a desperate attempt to escape, he jumped from the fourth floor onto a shed some seven feet from the ground, which broke his fall. He was luckily that he only broke his ankle.
The fire caused damages estimated at £6,000 to £7,000. Although the hotel was insured, the building was beyond repair and was demolished by 1920. The site was later purchased by the Young family allowing them to expand the Hotel Bristol in 1934.
Further history of the Hotel Edgcumbe will follow in due course.
