Angel Hotel inferno: owners of Midhurst's other major historic hotel offer assistance

The luxury Spread Eagle is situated at the southern side of the town and was not affected by the fire.Pontus and Miranda Carminger, Joint Managing Directors of Historic Sussex Hotels which owns the Spread Eagle said: "We are shocked and saddened to hear of last night’s devastating fire at The Angel, the hotel was an historic and significant building on the High Street and it is a great loss for both Midhurst and the hospitality industry.

"We owned and managed The Angel in the late 1990s so it is particularly poignant for us to see the damage to this beautiful hotel.

"We send our thoughts and best wishes to all those affected and are relieved to hear that everyone was safely evacuated. We have been in touch with the team at The Angel to offer support and assistance where we can."

The history of The Spread Eagle Hotel is a living history of England. According to the hotel’s website, it is a story shaped by the people who have slept beneath our ancient (and uneven) roofs - royalty, the nobility, the famous and the infamous - for nearly six centuries. As our guest today, you too have become a part of this story.

In times of war, peace, feast and famine, The Spread Eagle has been a comforting constant - offering the warmest of welcomes in the heart of the Sussex Downs.

1430 - The traditional date of the building that forms the oldest part of the hotel

1533 - The building was bought by Sir William Fitzwilliam, Henry VIII's Lord High Admiral

1730 - The Spread Eagle Inn is valued at £400 by the Sun Insurance Company

1791-1798 - Admiral Lord Nelson visited the hotel during this period

1832 - The town's principal stagecoach, The Earl of March, left the Spread Eagle for London every morning, except Sunday, at 10.00am

1907 - A motor garage opened at the hotel

2017 - The hotel celebrates 60 years of ownership by the same family

https://www.hshotels.co.uk/spread-eagle