Demolition of historic hotel delayed until tomorrow

Work to begin demolishing Britain's oldest hotel which has been destroyed by fire is now expected to start tomorrow.

The remains of the facade from the gutted Royal Clarence Hotel - that dates back to 1769 - will be removed by demolition firm Wring.

Heavy-duty equipment is being brought to Cathedral Green in Exeter, Devon, to take down the fragile facade - but the remains of the listed building will not be levelled for several more days.

Contacts manager for Wring Pete Williams, said a tractor tread machine with high-reach arm was on its way down from London, but he said there was no guarantee original aspects would be saved unless it was safe to do so.

The firm has only been instructed to remove the frontage to allow fire fighters access to the interior of the hotel and there are at present no plans to demolish the entire building.

Mr Williams said they would carefully dismantle the facade and salvage any heritage assets but could not offer any "guarantees" that original aspects of the structure will be recovered intact.

Joe Hassell from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service tells us about the challenges faced by his crews during the blaze.

The hotel's owners have pledged to rebuild it and local historian David Corrnforth, who runs the website Exeter memories, said these efforts could be assisted if original features are recovered in good condition.

Although the interior has been destroyed, elements of the facade, including wrought iron balcony railings and ornate widows and frames appear to be intact.

A Blue Plaque commemorating the visit of 19th century composer and pianist Franz Liszt is thought to have been saved.