Party Time?

The Skinburness Hotel near Silloth was designed in 1878 by architect Charles John Ferguson, and was built (costing £22,000), in the 1880s, for Edwin Hodge Banks, whose family owned a small cotton mill and also Highmoor House in Wigton. He enjoyed the lifestyle of a wealthy country gentlemen, keeping his 30-foot steam yacht, The Neptune, moored nearby. In 1889 he was declared bankrupt and vanished from the area.

In 1898 all Bankses goods were transferred to George F Brown, who took over ownership of the house. The hotel has since passed through many hands. It was run by the government, as part of the Carlisle State Management Scheme between 1916 and 1971. After this period, it never really regained its original glory.

In 2006 the hotel was closed and plans were submitted for the total demolition of the building together with the construction of a large new holiday complex. English Heritage refused to recommend that the building be listed, citing amongst other reasons that the presence of a stair tower made the hotel differ from the vernacular style. Allerdale Council refused the planning permission.

In 2007 the hotel was stripped and the fixtures and fittings sold at auction, including the staircase comprising cast iron decorative spindles and oak rail pillars which raised £1,600.

The hotel still lies empty and decaying.

More can be seen here