The Cliff Hotel was once a commanding presence on Dovercourt seafront.

In it’s heyday it was a top booking for weddings and dances in the town. But today it stands, boarded-up and empty. The Standard’s Lorraine King takes a look inside the iconic building, which looks set to be demolished.

Blue paintwork is peeling off the large letters spelling out Cliff Hotel.

Once a much-loved hotel and bar on Marine Parade, the building is now a shadow of its former self.

Cracks weave up the facade and inside doors hang off hinges and wallpaper is partly stripped from the walls.

It’s a stark contrast to when it was built in 1860s.

It was the bought by the Dovercourt Cliff Hotel Company in the 1880s, refurbished and opened as the Cliff Hotel Pavilion - there was a ballroom, lounge, saloon bar and billiard room.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

Barry Brown, Harwich Town councillor for East Central Ward, said: “We used The Cliff Hotel quite a bit when we first moved here 30 years ago. There was only The Cliff, The Squirrels and The Towers then.

“I think I had one of my celebratory birthdays there - I think it was my 65th.

“We always thought it was very good, the food was excellent and the service was excellent.

“I’ve been to a lot of charity events like dinners and quiz nights there with the lions and the rotary.

“They had excellent coffee mornings.

“I suppose the last time I went there was two or three years ago when we had a meal with relatives and it was just lovely for them to be able to look our to the sea from the dining area.”

But the new owner of the Cliff Hotel, the Cliff Trading Company, has announced plans to bulldoze the building and to replace it with a new iconic landmark.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

The 27-bed hotel, in Marine Parade, closed in January making 36 members of staff redundant.

It was due to undergo a complete refurbishment and internal remodelling as part of a major investment. But a survey looking into the current state of the building said “many years of neglect and lack of maintenance” have made it commercially unfeasible to refurbish the building.

Marcus Clarke, of construction consultants Clarkehaus, said: “After undertaking a close inspection of the property for our condition survey, we had identified a number of defects which have resulted from many years of neglect by the previous historic ownerships of the Cliff Hotel.

“Externally there has been structural movement in a number of areas to the external envelope of the building, causing significant cracking to the elevations and around door and window openings.

“The roof has suffered serious degradation resulting in failure allowing water penetration and water damage internally.

“The remaining balcony to the upper ground floor has failed and is no longer safe. “There is historic evidence of substantial movement to the retaining walls to the front of the property.

“Internally the mechanical and electrical systems are extremely old and defective and are no longer working effectively due to years of lack of maintenance resulting in an extremely inefficient heating system.

“In general the old Cliff Hotel has suffered years and years of neglect with a lack of investment in maintenance and servicing.”

Clarkehaus has drawn up new designs for flats, a hotel and bar/restaurant on the site - the current building will be demolished to make way for a new build.

The new art-deco design build would be a six-storey block, incorporating two-bedroom apartments overlooking the sea and 60 hotel rooms at the back.

Owner Carl Richardson, said: “I was given six weeks to save the Cliff Hotel, the staff were under notice of redundancy and bookings were virtually non existent and the business was about to close.

“This meant no time for surveys and the decision was taken to try and save the hotel then restore it to its former glory.

“Investment was put into the hotel and its facilities, but sadly in time it became apparent that the building was beyond economical repair and operation, which led to the very difficult decision to close the hotel. “The future of the site was considered carefully and I wanted something that would last the next 100 years and a landmark building and facilities for the area.”

A public meeting was held on June 19 to show residents the plans ahead of any planning applications being put forward.

There was an overall support for a new building, despite a feeling of sadness at losing the former iconic Cliff Hotel.

Speaking at the exhibition, resident Angela Rankin, said: “It would be better to replace it - it’s got so bad.

“It always had the ballroom so it could hold weddings and dinner dances.

“People don’t want to see the Cliff go but you need to change.

“And for people from out of the town to have a decent place to stay on the seafront.”