Well, what an interesting afternoon I've had. I was just walking through town when I spied a Friend of the Forum. He told me that workmen were busy in the Clarence Hotel, so we went over to see and, after a brief chat, were allowed to go inside for an accompanied look around.
We went in though the side door and straight into the old Beijing Chinese Restaurant (originally the Royal Oak Bar). No furniture remained, but the old range in the kitchen was intact and still smelt of Chinese food! We then walked through into what had latterly been the Rumourz bar before closure. There were pools of water on the floor here and you could see where a large section of ceiling had collapsed over the bar. There was also an old Punchball coin-operated machine, that had been destroyed by vandals. The smell of damp was very strong. On the ceiling here was a massive plasterwork rose, must have been 10 foot across, still in good condition. There was a very nice tiled floor in this area, must have been original, very intricate design.
Next up was the old main staircase area - another massive plasterwork ceiling rose and an ancient lift (the sort where you had to slide the metal folding door across) was slotted into the middle of the staircase. A quick peep through into the old Sakura Restaurant (still furnished), and we headed up the once very grand staircase to the First Floor. It was sad to see that some of the carved wooden tops of the staircase bannister had been smashed by vandals but the good news was that there were lovely stained glass windows on the staircase that were completely intact.
On the First Floor, we had a quick look in the Bedrooms, still furnished in some cases with wardrobes etc but everything combustible is currently being removed from the building. There were small items of debris strewn around the entire building and I noticed the electric sockets and switches had been ripped out by thieves. Up again to the second floor, lots more bedrooms with odd pieces of furniture in them and even the odd picture hanging on the wall. Floor was a bit ropey in places, perhaps as a result of thieves pinching copper pipes. Up once more to the top floor, lots of attic rooms that must once have accommodated the staff. Not tiny rooms but not much fun for a tall guy like myself, as headroom was very limited in the corners. The roof was leaking in quite a few places and the plaster had fallen away. A quick look into the room that held the winding gear for the Lift (all original) and we headed back down.
No photos, I'm afraid, it was a spur of the moment visit and it was too dark inside for my iphone camera to operate. The building was actually in slightly better shape that I expected, but a considerable investment will be needed to transform it into its new role. As to what that role is, it would appear that my earlier 'unconfirmed fact' regarding the new owners was correct.