Ok I did a bit of research on the building and it is more interesting than I thought.
Originally this 17th century building was an old coaching Inn called ‘Seven Thorns’, reputedly used by highwaymen. The Inn dates back to at least 1818.
In the late 60’s early 70’s it was known as the ‘Spaniards Inn’. Then it changed to a nightclub called Ravens Nightclub and apparently it was the best place to go for anything that might have fallen off the back of a lorry and quite a few villainous deals were cooked up there.
The story I found from my research and from another forum (dated 2005) is this building is listed (that doesn’t surprise me given the age) and the owners where unable to get planning permission to knock it down and build houses/flats on the site. Unfortunately it was (accidentally ofc) set on fire one night. The Insurance paid out but the fire brigade got there in time to pervent the building being destroyed. It is apparently still structurally sound (I doubt that now, 6 yrs on from when this bit of info was published on the forum) so I guess the owners have just allowed it to decay as they already have their insurance money and spending it elsewhere. Its been closed and falling apart for over 20+ years now.
My brother came over from Oz recently and we drove passed this place during a day out with our cameras. We stopped in a lay by to go look but he wouldn't go in so this is just the outside photos but worth showing for anyone else that might fancy looking into this site.
A couple of old photos i found first....
Google Map and street view ...
My bro taking a shot and view looking southwards on A3
Hope you enjoy these photos. First attempt at doing a report and hopefully a lot more to come.
Please don't forget to RATE the report, even if its not your cup of tea. Also always open for constructive criticism.
Originally this 17th century building was an old coaching Inn called ‘Seven Thorns’, reputedly used by highwaymen. The Inn dates back to at least 1818.
In the late 60’s early 70’s it was known as the ‘Spaniards Inn’. Then it changed to a nightclub called Ravens Nightclub and apparently it was the best place to go for anything that might have fallen off the back of a lorry and quite a few villainous deals were cooked up there.
The story I found from my research and from another forum (dated 2005) is this building is listed (that doesn’t surprise me given the age) and the owners where unable to get planning permission to knock it down and build houses/flats on the site. Unfortunately it was (accidentally ofc) set on fire one night. The Insurance paid out but the fire brigade got there in time to pervent the building being destroyed. It is apparently still structurally sound (I doubt that now, 6 yrs on from when this bit of info was published on the forum) so I guess the owners have just allowed it to decay as they already have their insurance money and spending it elsewhere. Its been closed and falling apart for over 20+ years now.
My brother came over from Oz recently and we drove passed this place during a day out with our cameras. We stopped in a lay by to go look but he wouldn't go in so this is just the outside photos but worth showing for anyone else that might fancy looking into this site.
A couple of old photos i found first....
Google Map and street view ...
My bro taking a shot and view looking southwards on A3
Hope you enjoy these photos. First attempt at doing a report and hopefully a lot more to come.
Please don't forget to RATE the report, even if its not your cup of tea. Also always open for constructive criticism.
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