Save The Three Cups Hotel

The Three Cups Hotel

Campaigning for preservation of the hotel where J.R.R. Tolkien stayed and gained inspiration for his mythology. Jane Austen, G.K. Chesterton, Tennyson and H.W. Longfellow were also guests. The hotel featured in the film, “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”. Please send articles to me, Andrew Townsend, at afmt@btinternet.com or add a comment. Thanks to David Moss for all his work. Comments are closed at WDDC for the plans to redevelop the site but you can still write to the papers.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Palmers Announce Plans to DESTROY The Three Cups HOTEL

With the utmost subterfuge, Palmers has "announced" a public consultation over the future of The Three Cups Hotel but you'll have to be quick or you might miss it. Click on this link to read the story in The Bridport & Lyme Regis News. Click through for more comment.

You're allowed eight and a half hours to view the plans. After that Palmers will proceed with their self serving scheme to deny the English speaking world one of its greatest historic treasures, namely The Three Cups Hotel with all its associations with Tolkien, Chesterton, Tennyson, Jane Austen etc. Their claim that the building is not commercially viable as a hotel is rubbish. They framed the question to produce the answer no. Is it worth spending a fortune on the building to turn it into a luxury hotel? Of course not! Should this building of huge historical and literary importance be preserved for the public? Yes, it must. How can this be achieved? By selling it to one of the many hoteliers queuing up to buy it who would just love the opportunity to make their living providing hospitality and happy holidays to people from all over the world. Will Palmer sell? No. Then the council should do their duty to serve the electorate and use their powers of compulsory purchase. If they are not serving the interests of the people, then they should go.

One of the other famous visitors to The Three Cups Hotel, Dwight D Eisenhower, warned of the undue influence of business on government when he said “In the councils of government, we must ... never let ... this ... endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted.”

I'm running this blog because in 2004 I sought out The Three Cups Hotel to enjoy afternoon tea in the lounge where Tolkien relaxed on holiday. I am still angry that this HOTEL is not open to the public. It's interesting to note how the subject of tea is gaining importance in politics. I think Eisenhower would have been proud of the grassroots Tea Party Movement in the USA which is seeking to regain control of their government from big business, taking their inspiration from the rebels at Boston Harbour in 1773. I would urge the people of Lyme Regis, "The Rebel Harbour", to confront the big business interests who are seeking to deny the rights of the public and small business people.

Having ignored the reality of hoteliers wanting to buy The Three Cups to run it AS A HOTEL, Palmers have produced plans for a retained facade building scheme. This will involve the destruction of historic interior of the building. They may as well knock the whole thing down and leave a painted hoarding in its place for all the good that would do for the people of Lyme or those, like me, who would travel hundreds of miles to visit it AS A HOTEL.

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