THE man who led a project to try to preserve the historic Ocean Hotel in Sandown said he was left heartbroken by the blaze that ripped through it a week ago.
Last Saturday, firefighters from across the Isle of Wight spent several hours trying to get the major fire at the hotel under control.
It was a fire that spread quickly in the windy conditions and destroyed much of the building, which had been left derelict and a target for vandals after it was shut down during the latest Covid-19 lockdown.
As recently as March, filmmaker Arron Swaffar, of the historical preservation branch of The Nutters Productions, led a group of squatters as they occupied the building.
He said their occupation of the 96-bedroom building had been a protest, fuelled by concerns about the state of the two centuries old hotel, which could boast naturalist Charles Darwin and author Lewis Carroll among its famous guests.
They eventually left after being reassured by the new owners its future was secure, after previous owners The Carlauren Group went into liquidation and left the hotel in a derelict state.
After subsequently learning further damage had been caused to the building, Arron entered it to film evidence of vandalism to windows and its fixtures and fittings.
The footage, in its entirety, together with an appeal for volunteers to help clear up the building and preserve it, was published hours before the Ocean Hotel was engulfed in flames.
He said, just before the fire, how disheartened he was to find more damage — and nothing yet being done to protect the property.
Reflecting on the fire and the horrendous damage caused to it last weekend, Arron told the County Press: "I’m absolutely heartbroken and shaken. I can’t describe my sadness.
"One of the town's oldest features is now lost. I’ve been trying for so long to figure out the details of how the Kings Head entrance looked from the High Street side, before the Ocean Hotel extension.
"But I think the undocumented elements that may have allowed that are now gone.
"I can’t quite muster up the will to write much at the moment, but one thing that picked up my spirits was the response of so many people.
"I was in shock. I think I still am. But those I’ve spoken to have had such empathy, it made me feel less lost.
"The day after the fire, I heard music from The Old Comical as the guitarist started his set list with Hotel California. I listened on as it, and John Lennon’s Imagine, echoed over the rooftops.
"Then I saw perhaps the most poignant thing, in nearby Town Lane, a child had written in chalk on the pavement. It read 'Stop fires'. I welled up."
On the Sandown Hub Facebook page, Arron also described how sick it made him feel — especially after trying to preserve the most historic elements of the Ocean Hotel in recent years.
"I hope, whoever did this, is found — and the thinking behind what drove them to do it," he added.
"It has torn me apart. There was so much in there I never had the chance to document, in the detail it deserved. Now we never will."
House Rules
We do not moderate comments, but we expect readers to adhere to certain rules in the interests of open and accountable debate.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel