Southend building, wotsit?

[peaceseeker]

Can anyone tell me more about t his place? What is it? Still in use? Its intriguing to say the least.

[Ninja Mania]

This is Keil Hotel, unused and derelict and a bloody eyesore that should be knocked down.

[jillibabes]

Was also used as a hospital during the second world war - that's when it was painted white (apparently). I think I'm right with this information - this is what I was led to believe.

[peaceseeker]

wow, would love to hear the story of its' rise and fall. I would imagine that being so remote, Southend would never be able to sustain such a large hotel business, or, maybe times have been different in the past? I find that a fascinating building and I may one day drive down ust to have a look around the place.

Those gates in front look Victorian, so, one assumes there was a building/mansion in that spot before?

[jdcarra]

Picture taken in February this year. Had a pint in it not long before it shut down. Quite a bit of history and proposals for the building , but never materialised. Being bought and turned into flats I think (memory bad at half a century) was the last, but 4th gen southend or some other local will probably come back with more info on this.

[Hels]

I think my Granny (who is a Southend native) once told me years ago it was built in the 1930's as a hotel. But before it could even open as such WWII broke out and it was commandeered as a naval hospital for many people who were seriously injured. I think it re-opened in the 1950's by 2 sisteres as a hotel and enjoyed a fair bit of success for quite a while. After changing hands, new owners began to struggle a little fianancially and shut the place selling everything they could - including lots of the plumbing works, electrics and so on which were ripped out of it. Hence the reason that if you look in it there are holes in walls and bits of ceiling torn out - pretty eerie!

Heaps of people say they have seen ghosts and heard things around Keil - little wonder given its early history! I also heard that the place can't be torn down as its a pretty important navigational point now given its size, colour and prominence?!

Hope some of this is accurate - relying on dodgy memory and local rumour! Maybe someone can be a bit more factual

[petewick]

They can't pull it down because it's a listed building.
Ships and aircraft used to use it as a navigational reference point, but as advanced technology came into being, the use of landmarks for reference is no longer in practice.
My grandfather was a plumber with Armours and worked extensively on the hotel, I think building started ion about 1937.

petewick

[DMS Graphics]

Now the Kintyre Way is open. I think Keil Hotel would make an excellent Hostel/Outdoor activities centre.

Only problem might be whoever owns it and the money.
Griff Rhys Jones from the Restoration programme on BBC 2, He'll sort it out.
It's as worthy of restoration as any building I have seen so far on the programme.
Here's a link to the website.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/restoration/

[kmac]

In 1975 my family visited the UK for the first time, and since family history had my husband's family coming from Argyll, we decided to visit. In looking for a place to stay we randomly selected the Keil Hotel. Actually, it was
the only place to stay. We had a wonderful visit there--the owners at that time were delightful, welcoming two clueless Virginians and their 6-year-old daughter, and we continued a correspondence for several years.
I have spent the last fewl years trying to discover what happened to the Keil. I am terribly sorry to see what it has come to--it was a great vacation place.

[Mary G]

It is sad to see the building like this, I agree. Many local people are keen to see either something happen, or for the building to be demolished. This dereliction is a blight on the area. Sad to say, neither of these options is straighforward.

Your memory is playing a couple of wee tricks on names and origins: The family who owned it in the mid 1970s were in fact Canadian, or at least the husband was; and their daughter was called Virginia.

[jdcarra]

Pictures taken February this year.

I cannot remember the year when I was last in and had a few refreshments in the bar with relatives whilst visiting caravan.

[kmac]

I had not realized that the owners were Canadian. They were delightful people, very warm and welcoming. It's a pity that they were not able to make a go of the place. If it were here in the states, it would probably be turned into condominiums by now!
No, our family name is MacAlister, and we have since learned that the family originally was Irish, from Antrim, but had moved to Argyll. We live in Virginia now--where there are quite a few Scots-Irish family names.

[Pete Reek]

Your eyes must be playing tricks too MaryG. Kmac wrote that the owners welomed "two clueless Virginians and their six year old daughter". I don't see where he said the owners were Virginian.

[Mary G]

Pete

You are so right ... Oops! Late at night, and after a long week.... The Virginia connection was what threw me, I suppose.

Ta for that!
M

[Annie]

Was it not Terry the mad Canadian that owned it? Then when it closed, he bought the Piper's Cave???