The Parkbury Hotel was once a jewel in Sandown's tourism offer.

Yesterday (Tuesday) the long-derelict building was on fire.

Situated on The Broadway, the Parkbury was run successfully as a hotel for several decades, and was receiving glowing reviews on TripAdvisor until 2018.

Among the former owners was Bill Churchill, who owned the hotel in the 1970s and 1980s. His former son-in-law Steve Phillips said the wooden panelling on the inside was from an ocean liner.

Indeed, the lounges was named the Cunard White Star Lounge, the Aquitania Lounge and the Parkbury Lounge.

Other former owners were Ray and Marie Maxfield, who in the year 2000 took a share in a family partnership to buy and run the Parkbury Hotel. They sold up four years later.

All the bedrooms were en-suite, and there were larger family suites available.

Isle of Wight County Press: At the scene of the fire at Parkbury Hotel.At the scene of the fire at Parkbury Hotel.

The hotel was later bought by the controversial Carlauren Group, which then collapsed.

Carlauren had bought 25 properties across the UK, including the Parkbury, and Sandown's Ocean Hotel and King's House.

All three of the Sandown properties fell into disrepair.

The Parkbury, a 40-bedroom hotel, was put on the open market in 2020 as having development potential. It appears to still be for sale.

Concerns had been raised on social media in 2019 about the amount of rubbish, mattresses and furniture dumped in the grounds of the Parkbury.

Sandown's Ocean Hotel also suffered a major fire after it was sold by the joint liquidators of the Carlauren Group.

Since then, the fight has been on to tidy up the derelict seafront site.

Only yesterday, police issued a court summons over the matter.