THE PARK HOTEL
As it turns out, the postscript to the Park Hotel’s history is worthy of an episode of Tales Of The Unexpected.
The hotel started life as a terrace comprising five houses on Esplanade Road (extreme right of the above photo taken in the 1890s), facing Paignton Green. These houses had servants’ quarters at the rear, attached to the main houses by corridors and separate staircases, giving out-of-sight access to their ground- and first-floor rooms. The main houses had typically Victorian high ceilings and generous fireplaces.
During the early years of the 20th century, the five houses were knocked through to form a single building, which became the Park Hotel.
On January 4th 1940 an Anson K6182 on a training flight had to make an emergency landing on the Green.
The pilot approached from the north and touched down safely, but lost control when crossing the Pier Approach road, presumably caught out by the kerb stones. The Anson swerved towards the Park at the Garfield Road end and demolished part of the perimeter wall. It was towed back onto the Green, as illustrated, and later had its wings removed before being towed away.
From 1944, towards the end of World War II, the 460th Amphibian Truck Company of the US Army were billeted in the Park. Paignton Green became designated Airstrip Y670, with light observation and training planes coming and going.
On the outbreak of peace, the Park returned to the hotel business. The undated postcard (right) shows views within the hotel, as well as a bubble car parked in front of the building. During the 20th century the Victorian fireplaces and ornate plasterwork were ripped out during “modernisation” work.
A single-storey conservatory was also added.
During the 1950s a local firm had been commissioned to add formal landscaped gardens. The gardeners departed for lunch one stormy day and, on their return, found the sea had inundated their work as the hotel is below sea level!
For many years the Park was run by Methodist Holiday Hotels, with a no-alcohol policy. When the hotel was latterly sold to private owners they decided to run it on similar lines. They also set out on a rolling programme of feature reinstatements in the 46 bedrooms, with Victorian-style fireplaces going back in, and the reception area being refurbished.
Outside crumbling masonry was repaired and repainted, with gold leaf being applied to the pinnacle and decorative scrolls.
However, all this came to an abrupt stop in 2017 when the owners were bought out by the large Singaporian Fragrance Group, which had already snapped up three other hotels within Torbay.
The hotel was boarded up and empty for a couple of years before being demolished in 2020 and replaced with a modern building.
Lee Hayward 2018, updated 2021