EXETER MEMORIES GO UP IN FLAMES – HISTORIC ROYAL CLARENCE HOTEL DESTROYED

I was saddened to learn of the destruction by fire in the early hours of Friday, October 28th, of the wonderful old Royal Clarence Hotel, Exeter, Devon. England's oldest hotel, originally a 17th century coaching inn, had become an Abode Hotel. Thankfully, there were no deaths or injuries.

My late mother worked as Head Receptionist at the Royal Clarence for many years. I remember waiting in the Cathedral Green with my grandmother while Mum applied for the job. She was very happy there.

I mention the Royal Clarence Hotel in my short story “Hocus Pocus”, which appears in “Sunbeams from the Heart – A Collection of Twelve Romantic Short Stories”.

It was announced that there are plans to rebuild the hotel.

Daily Mail article - England's oldest hotel reduced to a charred and crumbling shell