Gaping holes appear in seaside hotel so dangerous even the emergency services banned from entering

Heritage campaigners say the overgrown hotel has a 'fairy tale' quality but urban explorers claim the interior has an 'apocalypse vibe
-Credit:Peter Glyn/Wiki


Gaping holes have appeared in an iconic seaside hotel that’s been left unused and abandoned for several years. Fears are now rising the building will have to be demolished to protect residents and visitors in Tywyn, Gwynedd.

A site visit by civil engineers and council staff was carried out at the Corbett Arms last Wednesday (January 29). Such was the perilous state of the once grand building, an order was issued ordering the emergency services not to enter in the event of a fire or accident.

Residents in the coastal town have watched with growing alarm the decline of a historic hotel that symbolised the resort’s development in the 19th century. For generations of people, local life centred on the Corbett Arms and its guest list included the likes of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969.

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Two years ago, Cyngor Gwynedd slapped a “dangerous structure” notice on the Georgian building. But as ownership continues to be tied up in probate, intervention options have been limited.

Gwynedd councillor John Pughe, representing the Morfa Tywyn ward, said demolition was now the most likely option, though this will need to agreed in court. The building’s Grade II-listing could complicate matters and there are fears it could collapse before formal orders are issued.

Matters came to a head last Saturday (January 25) in the wake of Storm Eowyn when a five square metre section of the hotel’s rear wall crashed to the ground. “It’s in a really bad state,” said Cllr Pughe. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now

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“The walls are bowing and there are cracks in the building. Window frames are falling out, the floors are too dangerous to walk on and the place is full of pigeons and rats. Building control officers have advised that gas and electricity supplies should be cut off immediately – this probably should have been done earlier to be honest.”

Campaigners would like the hotel's frontage retained if nothing else - not that much can be seen of it these days
Campaigners would like the hotel's frontage retained if nothing else - not that much can be seen of it these days -Credit:Richard Hoare/Wiki

The hotel has been screened off with safety barriers since early 2023. Since then, emergency works have been carried out by Cyngor Gwynedd – Cllr Pughe fears the council is in danger of losing the £150,000 spent so far on making the building safe.

“I’ve been pushing for years for the local authority to issue a compulsory purchase order,” he said. “Failing that, I’d at least like to see the building’s facade retained as the frontage of a new building at the site. But nothing can be done because of probate and demolition now looks the most likely outcome. It’s such a shame.”

A petition was set up in 2020 by Tywyn-born Glyn Evans calling on the council to compulsorily purchase the hotel. This amassed 1,816 signatures – more than half the town’s population – but it came to nothing.

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Urban exploration videos have shown vegetation growing in the partly-stocked bar area . At least one stairwell has collapsed and fungi is growing from plaster-stripped walls, some covered in offensive graffiti. With porcelain figurines and dolls still dotted around, explorers said the place was “creepy” with an “apocalypse vibe”.

John Lennon with Yoko Ono and their children, Sean and Julian, on the hotel's back lawn
John Lennon with Yoko Ono and their children, Sean and Julian, on the hotel's back lawn -Credit:Portmeirion Village

The hotel was listed by Cadw in the 1970s, limiting its potential redevelopment. It’s now on Save Britain’s Heritage’s (SBH) endangered buildings register, with the charity noting how its walls have become part-obscured by ivy. “It would have a fairy tale quality if it were not for the reality: the building has been empty and neglected for a number of years and there are serious concerns about its condition,” said SBH.

“Its overgrown appearance and state of decay threatens to blight this popular tourist destination. Such is the condition of the building that the council have been forced to fence it off. It also issued a dangerous structures notice meaning that no one should enter the building. It is in a very poor condition and is a building where time is running out if it is to be saved.”

The hotel’s recent ownership has been difficult to confirm: a Gwynedd Council enforcement notice issued in February 2023 was addressed to the “representatives of Susan Helen Holmes”. She was an an icon of the West Midlands soul scene in the 1970s who ran two businesses from the hotel. Susan died in 2012 after battling cancer, aged 58. Her son and his stepdad were left to run the hotel.

How the hotel looked just four years ago
How the hotel looked just four years ago -Credit:Peter Glyn/Wiki

Water is seeping into the building and has begun destablising its walls. It is understood two exterior bedroom walls have also collapsed onto roofing below. Its demise has angered local people, many of whom held their wedding receptions at the hotel.

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One man said online: “What has happened to the Corbett over the past decade has been a full-throated attack on the heritage of our fine little town. There needs to be more red tape and regulation to prevent the private sector from committing such gross acts of cultural vandalism in the blind pursuit of profit.”

Residents fear another “Ynysmaengwyn”. This was the seat of the Corbet family, who were responsible for draining much of the salt marsh between Tywyn and the Afon Dysynni. In 1878, the estate and its hotel – previously called The Raven – was acquired by John Corbett, a saltworks magnate from Worcestershire who was said to have been attracted by the cachet of having a similar-sounding surname.

John Corbett lavished large amounts of money on the resort. He developed the water and sewerage system and paid around £3,000 to build the promenade. He also contributed to the building of the Assembly Room (1893), now The Magic Lantern, Tywyn’s cinema. This lies near the hotel, which he rebuilt, more than doubling its size. The hotel’s central gable contains a coat of arms and an inscription “JC 1900AD”.

In the 1950s, Ynysmaengwyn estate was given to the council. Unable to fund the necessary repairs, the mansion was used for firefighting practice and army training before being mostly demolished in 1964: only the ballroom wing remained before this too was taken down in 1989. According to Coflein, the Welsh heritage service, the mansion had "many pure 18th century features, rare in Wales" and its destruction still rankles in the local community.

“Three or four years ago, two people were willing to buy the Corbett Arms,” said Cllr Pughe. “One was a man from Shropshire who ran another Corbett hotel. Again, probate was the problem.

"If the hotel is demolished, there won’t be much left of the town’s Corbett-funded structures – just a Victorian shelter on the promenade and a row of terraced houses.” Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday

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