A HOTEL redesigned by renowned Scottish author Arthur Conan Doyle, inspired by his spiritualist beliefs, faces demolition.
Town planners in Hampshire have recommended that The Lyndhurst Hotel be torn down in favour for a block of flats.
The now-derelict hotel closed in 2024 and developers hoped to keep the facade designed by Conan Doyle, as per a condition of the original planning application in 2022.
Developer Burry and Knight applied to have this condition dropped earlier this year and a town planner has now recommended to councillors it be accepted, citing safety concerns.
The hotel was redesigned by the Sherlock Holme's author in 1912 while he was staying in the east wing with his family. At the time, Conon Doyle kept his spiritual beliefs a secret but put them into the designs.
The Victorian Society objected to the new plans, claiming the proposed reconstruction is not “like for like” due to the departures from the original designs.
The society added that the “proposed complete demolition of the buildings is not justified when previous engineers’ reports have highlighted ways in which the structure could have been preserved and stabilised, yet these have not been executed”.
Brice Stratford, a local historian, said the building should be protected as it was the only physical example of Conan Doyle’s architectural influence.
