Tragedy struck in December 1963 when the top story of the Pier Hotel in Skegness was destroyed by fire.
TOWN FULL OF KINDNESS
Family who lost all in hotel fire have ‘main memory’.
WITH their world turned upside down by the fire that killed a new friend, one of their employees; destroyed most of the Pier Hotel, their new home, and left their future one big question-mark, and lost them their clothing along with most of their personal possessions, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lewis and their two children, still suffering from the shock of the tragedy, talked this week about the kindness of Skegness people.
Sitting in the lounge of the Crown Hotel, Drummond Road, where they have temporary quarters — like the Pier Hotel, it is owned by the Home Brewery, of Nottingham — still in the shadow of the tragedy that claimed the life of barman Walter Stevenson, they talked about it.
Mr. Lewis, his auburn-haired wife Irene daughter Michelle (15) and son Michael (12), were all wearing borrowed clothes, “We have met with kindness on all hands” said Mr. Lewis. “In spite of the fire, that will always be our main memory of Skegness”.
Then he spoke of the help with clothes and money given him by the Gardner family, who have the shop and flats on Grand Parade adjoining the Pier Hotel; the Skegness Rotary Club and Inner Wheel Club; the Skegness Licensed Trades Association and anonymous well-wishers like the woman who left a parcel at the Crown Hotel for Mrs. Lewis, containing silk stockings and make-up. “There were toys and books for the children, so these helpers even thought of our moral”, smiled Mrs. Lewis.And her husband recalled that when he was recognised on going for a haircut, the hairdresser had refused to take any money.
Liverpool-born Mr. Lewis has been in the licensed trade for 12 years, and came to Skegness from the Norfolk Arms, Glossop, one of the largest and most important hotels in the Derbyshire town. He was a member of the Glossop Rotary Club, and both he and his wife were prominent in social life there.
Now the fire has abruptly checked his plans. “We shall be staying in Skegness until after the inquest on 19th December,” he said. “After that—I just don’t know. “All the family’s plans”, pointed out Mr Lewis, “have been based on the likelihood of being in Skegness for some years.”
Coughing
It was shortly after 3am on Thursday that Mr. Lewis woke up coughing and roused his wife when he realised their bedroom on the second floor was full of smoke. Without waiting to dress, they collected Michael from his bedroom next door. Michael’s dog, Ricky, a two-year-old Boxer, had been heard barking, but was be
nowhere to be seen.
The three of them uncoiled a fire-extinguisher hose, and Mr Lewis tried to get upstairs with it, thinking of receptionist Valerie Ford (19) and barman Walter Stevenson (52) who had bedrooms on the top floor. But the smoke was too dense, and flames were breaking through the staircase. Michael dashed outside to a
phone-box to give the alarm. It was he who told Mr. Lewis that Valerie was at a top floor window, with flames around her Mrs. Lewis heard daughter Michelle shouting from a window next to their family flat on the first floor - it was being decorated and only Michelle had been sleeping there - so she ran outside.
While Mr. Lewis called to Valerie to stay where she was until the firemen arrived, Mrs. Lewis urged Michelle to climb out of her window and into the adjoining window in Gardner’s block of next door.
Narrow ledge
The alarm had also been given by Mr. Arthur Davison, night-watchman at Butlin’s amusement park opposite the hotel, who had seen the flames, and firemen were soon on the scene. (It was also Mr. Davidson who found a leather jacket for Mr. Lewis, who was still only in his underwear).
While Michelle stepped out on to a narrow ledge 20 ft. above the pavement to cross to the next window, helped by the occupant of the flat, Mr. Arthur Mills, a ladder was run up towards Valerie.
When she was brought down safely, only Mr Stevenson was not accounted for.
But he was not seen by anyone, although Valerie had heard shouting somewhere outside her room. She had been unable to open her door because it was locked and the key was red-hot; so fortunately for her as it happened, she chose the window as an escape route.
Also rescued was Michelle’s 5-year-old Labrador, Butch. He had jibbed at following his mistress through the narrow bathroom window above the street, although she had gone back into the room for him; and Mr. Mills, her helper, had also crossed into the bathroom to try to get the dog out. He was brought out a little later, by a fireman and a helper, who lifted him bodilythrough the window.
Evacuated
With the roof of the four-storey hotel collapsing and flames shooting high into the air leaving tall chimney stacks precariously poised, buildings on both sides were evacuated by police at the suggestion of fire officers. Sparks and fragments of burning material were being blown on to them, and across Scarbrough
Avenue, on to the Imperial Cafe and Grosvenor House Hotel.
Members of the staff armed themselves with fire extinguishers to keep watch on the roof.
The foyer of the Imperial filled with “refugees” from the fire, as did Gardner’s cafe. Michelle had
Valerie sat swathed in blankets at the Imperial where tea and sandwiches were available to tired firemen and any other visitor,
The Skegness and Wainfleet firemen were joined by men from a number of surrounding stations, and by the Chief Fire Officer and Deputy Chief. Gradually they brought the blaze under control, ensuring other buildings were saved, that the part at least of the interior of the hotel. As soon as they could, firemen went in to search for Mr. Stevenson. Shortly after 9 a.m., the remains of a man were found on a pile of debris on the first floor.
Survivors
The firemen also found a black cat, the Lewis’s pet for six years, who had survived the fire locked in the cocktail bar.
Even more remarkable was the escape of Michael Lewis’s pet hamster Diane. The hamster’s cage was found in the family’s first-floor fiat on Friday afternoon, over 36 hours after the fire broke out. In the midst of burnt, scorched, smoke-blackened and water- logged furniture and debris the cage stood unscathed—with Diane running round and round inside!
“Diane’s escape has made up a little to Michael for the loss of Ricky;’ Mr Lewis said.
But our first priority when we get some money through will be another Boxer puppy…”
INQUEST OPENS ON CHARRED REMAINS
Receptionist collapses after giving evidence
WHEN the inquest was opened in Skegness on Friday on the charred remains of a man’s body found in the Pier Hotel fire debris, the Coroner (Mr. J. C. Walter) said at the outset:
It must be appreciated that where a body has been burned in a fierce fire, it is more or less unidentifiable.
Tests are being carried out, say the police, to try to establish if there are any means of identification. Witnesses at the inquest, which was adjourned to 19th December, were all questioned by the Coroner about the only person not accounted for after the fire, barman Walter Stevenson, aged 52, generally known as “Steve.”
The hotel manager, Mr. Charles Anthony Lewis, said he had employed Mr Stevenson as a barman, and he lived at the hotel. His bedroom was on the top floor. On the night of 27th November, Mr. Stevenson had retired for the night at about 11.50 p.m., and witness never saw or heard him again. The fire had broken out about 3 a.m. the following morning.
Receionist Valerie Susan Ford, aged 18, said her bedroom was also on the top floor. When the fire broke out she was aroused by shouts, and recognised Mr. Stevenson’s voice.
“I couldn’t open my door because the key was too hot to touch, but Steve’s voice was quite close. It sounded as if it was just near the stairs about ten yards away,” said Miss Ford, The Coroner: You are quite sure it was Mr. Stevenson’s voice ?
Miss Ford : Quite sure.
HEAP OF DEBRIS
Miss Ford, who looked distressed, collapsed moments after giving evidence. She was attended to by Dr. A. Jamieson, present to give medical evidence, and was later driven away in a very distressed condition in a police car.
Pc. W. H. Knight said he was on duty at the Pier Hotel when firemen found a body in the debris. It was completely unrecognisable except as the body of a man, and there was nothing left on the body or attached to it that could help in identification.
The remains were lying on top of a heap of debris in the north-east corner of the first floor, and appeared to have fallen with the debris from above.
Dr. Jamieson confirmed that death was due to burning.
Mr. Stevenson worked at the Pier Hotel only since June this year. His wife Lilian now living in Bateman Street, Nottingham, worked there with him until the end of August, when she returned to Nottingham because of her mother’s illness.
Previously they had been licensees of the Poet’s Corner public house, Kirkwhite Street, Nottingham.
Pictures: top left, top story of the Pier Hotel, Skegness destroyed by fire; top right, barman, Mr Walter Stevenson who lost his life in the fire; bottom, Michelle Lewis (left), daughter of the Pier Hotel manager and (right), receptionist, Valerie Ford recovering after their ordeal at the Imperial Hotel, Skegness.
Skegness Standard 4th December 1963
Photographs by Norman Beckett Skegness
Today saw the grand opening of the Royal Renaissance Hotel, noe renamed the Royal Hotel, in Skegness. The £1.8 million project to completely renovate the former, tired looking Seacroft Hotel on South Parade, was undertaken by the Bola Family, T.K Bola, his brother Raj and sister Pam Kaur. A family member said that it was aptly named ‘Renaissance’ because the word means ‘rebirth’.
