Holbeck Hall Hotel
 The site of the Holbeck Hall Hotel |
|
| Type | Defunct hotel |
|---|---|
| Proprietor | English Rose Hotels |
| Main feature | Site of landslip |
| Other features | View point |
| Public access | Yes |
| Exhibition | Information board |
| Country | England |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Grid square | TA0486 |
| Parking | Yes |
| 54°16′00″N 0°23′27″W / 54.2666667°N 0.39083°WCoordinates: 54°16′00″N 0°23′27″W / 54.2666667°N 0.39083°W | |
The Holbeck Hall Hotel was a clifftop hotel in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, owned by English Rose Hotels. The hotel had scenic views of the sea and surrounding area. It was built in 1879 by George Alderson Smith as a private residence, and was later converted to a hotel.[1] On 3 June 1993, a landslide began beneath the hotel. This increased, and finally on 5 June 1993, a day of heavy rain, parts of the building dramatically fell into the sea, making news around the world. The remainder of the building had to be demolished by contractors.
Although it was on a clifftop, an information board at the top of the cliff states that the incident was nothing to do with the sea, blaming it on soil creep. This is a common problem in Scarborough, with several paths and pavements clearly starting to slip down the hill. Before the cliff collapsed, there had been some very heavy rainfall, resulting in the muddy cliff turning into sludge. This flowed downhill - quite rapidly for a muddy bank - and ultimately took the hotel with it. In total 27,000m² of mud fell into the sea, and protruded 100 metres further into the sea than the original coastline.
In 1997, it became the subject of a significant court case in English civil law (Holbeck Hall Hotel Limited and another v. Scarborough Borough Council [2000] QB 836 (CA)) when the owners of the hotel sued Scarborough Borough Council for damages, alleging that as owners of the shoreline they had not taken all practical measures to prevent the landslip. The claim was rejected on the grounds that the Council was not liable for the causes of the landslip itself.[2] The case is important for students of both geography and law.
[edit] References
- ^ "Scarborough: postcards from the edge: Once golden sands and donkey rides were the big attraction. Now visitors come to watch the town's only four-star hotel fall into the sea. Sandra Barwick reports - Life & Style - The Independent". The Independent (London: INM). 12 June 1993. ISSN 0951-9467. OCLC 185201487. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/scarborough-postcards-from-the-edge-once-golden-sands-and-donkey-rides-were-the-big-attraction-now-visitors-come-to-watch-the-towns-only-fourstar-hotel-fall-into-the-sea-sandra-barwick-reports-1491143.html. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ "Holbeck Hall Hotel Ltd and another v Scarborough Borough Council". web.uct.ac.za. http://web.uct.ac.za/staff/jgibson/iczm/cases/holbeck3.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
