THE Post is grateful to everyone who got in contact to provide the name and some information about the former hotel in Holsworthy that stands at the entrance to the town’s Square.

Nigel Kivell from Bude correctly name it as the Stanhope Hotel. He said: “The now empty Barclays Bank building was originally The Stanhope Hotel. There is history on it in the Holsworthy Museum.”

Ron Gerry of Holsworthy supplied a bit more information about the photograph featured in a previous edition of the Post.

Ron said the building was once ‘Stanhope Hotel’, named as Stanhope Park was after the Earl of Stanhope, a great benefactor to the town.

It has previously been a tax office, bank, hotel and even a place from which ration books were issued.

In the picture a coat of arms above the door is visible — speaking about this Ron said: “There was once a very large coat of arms that sat on the outside of the hotel. It was eventually taken down because it was made of cast iron and was very heavy, posing a danger to those walking below.

“The coat of arms, I believe, is now in a private collection but I think there is a fibre glass replica that was made in the museum. It stands about three foot high.”

Ron said another ‘useless but interesting fact’ relating to the hotel was seeing travelling salesmen coming down on the train to stay at the hotel. He said: “Travelling salesmen from Plymouth and Exeter would come down to the station with these large wicker baskets. The porters would bring them to the hotel, where the tradesmen would stay. They would go out and sell their odd bits and bobs around the town then the porters would come back and collect the baskets, wheeling them through town back to the station before the salesmen continued onto Bude.”

Francis Johnson (neé Penhale) was born in Holsworthy and now lives in St Giles. She was also able to name the building as Stanhope Hotel. She confirmed it was owned by the Earl of Stanhope, adding: “I believe he also owned Chieveley House in Buckinghamshire or somewhere — I think that is what it was called — which he later gave to the government at the time who then pass it on to foreign dignitaries.”

Following the inclusion of the photograph, Rose Hitchings, who originally supplied the image, said she had received two phone calls with more information about it.

She said a lady had contacted her and supplied a book called ‘Snapshots’ by Menor Piper which included a lot of information about Holsworthy. From this Rose said she discovered a lot about the history of the building: “The hotel was called ‘The Stanhope Hotel’ of Stanhope Square.

Built in 1823 and redesigned in 1878. During the Second World War it ceased to be a hotel and the downstairs rooms were occupied by various Ministries, set up by the War Office. People went there to obtain their ration books and order their rations of coal.

“After the war the front rooms were taken over by Barclays Bank and the rest of the building became a solicitors and other offices. The attic rooms were converted into flats.”

The Post is also grateful to Holsworthy Museum who provided some information about the plaque which hung above the entrance to The Stanhope Hotel. There is an account by Robert Mervyn Hines from February 1998 regarding the plaque.

He says: “The sign was removed during renovations at Barclays Bank Holsworthy in the early 1960’s. It was saved from being scrapped by my father, Don Hines. It had hung beneath the top centre window of the building since at least 1915 and possibly as early as 1906.”

For full details on the history of the plaque visit Holsworthy Museum where the information can be produced upon request.

Do any of our readers have any more memories of this historically iconic building in Holsworthy?