By Lucy Jane Santos, historian and consultant and writer of The Deco Echo
Arrival
The arrival at Burgh Island alone is a truly remarkable experience. Not only do you have the anticipation of what is to come but the unique thrill of riding on a sea tractor (depending on the tides) adds to the excitement.
The original caterpillar tractor, designed in 1930, has been replaced by a hydraulic version designed by Robert Jackson in 1969. Once you are perched on the platform the tractor drives across the beach – with its wheels submerged. The journey is just 250 meters from the beach at Bigbury- on- Sea to the hotel.
Pilchard Inn
Once you disembark from what is quite a rocky journey and step foot on the island the first main building is The Pilchard Inn, which dates from 1336 and is one of England’s oldest pubs. The Pilchard Inn was said to have been home to Tom Crocker, a smuggler in the 1500s who died in the pub. Legend has it his ghost continues to haunt the island, and this is celebrated on Tom Crocker Day, which is August 14th.
Burgh Island Hotel
A short walk takes you to the magnificent Burgh Island Hotel, which was built in the early 1930s at a reported cost of £40,000 (or £100,000 depending on what source you read) by the millionaire Archibald Nettlefold. This replaced an earlier prefabricated wooden house which had been built by the music hall star George H Chirgwin in the 1890s and had served as a holiday home.
Billing itself as ‘the Island of Pleasurable Leisure’, the Burgh Island Hotel quickly became a hub for celebrities, including movie stars, royalty, singers and those who wanted to experience the finer things in life.
The hotel was taken over by the War Office and served as a medical facility during World War II, and in 1942, hosted Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower as they discussed D-Day. The hotel endured bomb damage but reopened again after the war, with repairs, an extension and under new management.
It underwent significant restoration in the 1980s under Tony and Beatrice Porter, who later recounted the island’s history in The Great White Palace, and again more recently by Giles Fuchs in 2018, which was overseen by designer Sam Kopsch. The new renovation added and restored rooms while upgrading the hotel’s amenities to be in line with modern standards of luxury. Classified as a Grade II listed building there are currently 25 rooms and suites.
Ganges Room
A later 1930s addition was The Captain’s cabin, which was built from the top deck of the HMS Ganges, a warship built in 1821 and scrapped in 1930.
Palm Court
Inside there is the hotel’s main reception, grand ballroom, Nettlefold restaurant, the Palm Court lounge and bar. This is an incredible space adorned with a mesmerising glass ceiling composed of approximately 2,500 separate panes of Crittall glass. This was recently restored with each pane being meticulously cleaned and re-leaded and is absolutely wonderful.
The Nettlefold
The Nettlefold Restaurant, named after Archibald Nettlefold, was designed to match the playfulness of the Art Deco era, and designed in the shape of a ship. The original room, built in the 1930s, is clad with more features from the HMS Ganges, recycling the captain’s cabin in this case.
The Grand Ballroom
The black tie dining and live piano music recreate an atmosphere of the 1930s against the backdrop of Art Deco splendour. From its geometric friezes above the doorways to playful paneling the room displays the 1930s in full swing.
The Beach House
Another notable feature is the Beach House, originally constructed in the 1930s for Agatha Christie, who had her home, Greenway, nearby. The retreat at Burgh Island inspired two of her novels “And Then There Were None” and “Evil Under the Sun”, and the latter was even filmed on the island in 2001.
The Beach House you see today was rebuilt in 2007, ensuring its continued charm and allure.
For more information about visiting Burgh Island please visit their website https://www.burghisland.com/
Cheers!
Lucy Jane Santos is a historian and consultant specialising in the 1920s and 1930s. She is the author of two books on the history of radioactivity and is fascinated by our nostalgia for all things Art Deco.