Imagine! SAVE’s structural engineer finds ‘no justification’ for total demolition of John and Yoko hotel

Threat of wrecking ball triggers united call from national heritage organisations to Gwynedd Council to urgently re-think 

Help save the Corbett Arms Hotel! 

Gwynedd Council is threatening to tear down a former hotel whose guests included John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who stayed there with their children in 1969.

The grade II-listed Corbett Arms Hotel is believed to be set for demolition in the next few days – despite a huge local outcry and new evidence commissioned by SAVE that casts doubt on the council’s justification for flattening it.

The handsome four-storey hotel is one of the most prominent buildings in the heart of Tywyn, on the edge of Snowdonia (Eryri). It’s been “the star” of its North Wales community for nearly 200 years and hosted the likes of the Beatles legend and his family.

While it has fallen into disrepair in recent years, a buyer is reportedly interested in reviving it. The local chamber of tourism and commerce says this could create dozens of jobs – which would be a huge boost for this small town. But chamber chair Mike Stevens says the council has ignored all this and is blindly set on demolition.

After two sections at the back of the 1833 building collapsed, the council is understood to be planning its wholesale demolition this week. But SAVE, which added the hotel to its Buildings at Risk register a year ago, questions the need for demolition. The council appears to have made a decision to demolish the entire building based on a structural engineer’s report that has not been made public despite repeated requests.

So SAVE sent a specialist conservation engineer, Jon Avent, director at Mann Williams civil and structural engineers, to carry out an urgent review on Friday. He was not granted access by the council but observed the building from the outside and used drone imagery. He said: “There is simply no justification for demolition.”

He added: “When asked to inspect this building due for demolition, I expected to see a building presenting widespread structural failures and beyond repair. What I saw was an impressive piece of history in need of some care and attention. A small area of collapse at the rear, but nothing to unduly challenge those with a willingness to see a sustainable future for this lovely building.” See his report here.

Henrietta Billings, director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, said: “The Corbett Arms Hotel is a handsome landmark – the centrepiece of the town – full of history and rooted in the community. It’s shocking that this substantial listed hotel has been allowed to deteriorate for so long.  

“In their last press release, on 16 April, the council said they had ‘no choice but to submit an application for listed building permission for demolition work’ but have so far declined to release the evidence to back this statement up.

“We are pleased to publish the findings today of an independent review by a national conservation engineer. It states that the case for wholesale demolition has not been made.

“We call on the council to urgently re-think their wrecking ball approach. We appeal to them to work with local businesses to find a new future for this hotel rather than waste it. It could once again be an economic driver for the town, providing local jobs and accommodation for visitors and tourism.”

Mike Stevens, chair of Tywyn & District Chamber of Tourism and Commerce (CTC), said: “There has been a credible buyer trying to purchase the hotel for many years, of which Gwynedd Council is fully aware.

“If the Corbett can be saved, renovated and brought back into full use the economic benefits to Tywyn and the surrounding area are immeasurable for years to come. It will provide employment for dozens of local people for generations.”

The case has attracted the attention of national heritage organisations the Victorian Society and Historic Buildings & Places.

Thomas Ollivier, conservation advisor at The Victorian Society, said: “The Corbett Arms is an important landmark in the expansion of consumerism and tourism in Wales throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and is a key building at the heart of Tywyn. It is grade II-listed, meaning it is recognised for its national significance and special interest.

“To demolish the entirety of the Corbett Arms would not only be disproportionate, but also hugely shortsighted and would result in the permanent disfigurement of Tywyn and its historic streetscape. Reuse of this viable and important building is the only acceptable and sensible option.”

Ross Anthony, casework manager at Historic Buildings & Places (HB&P), said: “We are deeply concerned about the proposed demolition of Tywyn’s Corbett Arms Hotel and that none of the repairs and urgent works notices were acted on. The hotel is one of the largest and most significant structures in Tywyn and part of an important collection of buildings at the heart of the community, which includes the adjacent Assembly Rooms and the church.

“Now that the building has been partly secured with the recently installed scaffolding, HB&P urge Gwynedd Council to take the time to consider its wider value to the local community and to release the historic building report that has been prepared for the council, before any demolition takes place. We also welcome the news from SAVE that an independent structural engineer has been commissioned to assess the structural integrity of the building.”