Burgh Island Hotel — Devon, United Kingdom
About Burgh Island Hotel
Cut off twice a day by tides, the isolated Devon coast hotel practically lends itself to eerie imaginings about what could happen when those in residence can't reach the other shore. That's the premise of And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie's "pick 'em off one by one" murder mystery, And Then There Were None. Her second novel, Evil Under the Sun, was also written and set here. In Evil Under the Sun, "Smuggler's Island" has its "Jolly Roger Hotel" — which feels right, given the fisherman vibes of the nearby Pilchard Inn pub, the precarious Jacob's Ladder cliff stairs, and the ship's bow fittings of Burgh's restaurant. In And then there Were None , the fictionalized island setting is "Soldier Island" and the hotel is instead a grand mansion. The book contains caves and coves, but no tidal seawater "mermaid pool" like the real Burgh Island, Christie's Beach House has been renovated,…
Literary significance
Historically significiant deco fittings throughout: the 25 sea-view rooms and suites are each decorated differently with original Art Deco features, and are named after famous visitors such as Noel Coward, Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Other examples include the Josephine Baker Room, the Lord Louis Mountbatten Room and the Bentley Room. The hotel is a Grade II listed building constructed in 1929, and the most recent owner oversaw an extensive renovation, where original fixtures and fittings have been kept wherever possible. The Grand Ballroom has Art Deco murals and furnishings. The rooms carry the period feel into small details, too: there’s a transistor radio and a Bakelite phone for calling the front desk. Guests can choose between the Burgh Island Classic Afternoon Tea and a Great Gatsby afternoon tea, and non-residents can book it, too. There’s black-tie dining in the ballroom (p…
Authors
Location
Burgh Island, Bigbury-on-Sea, Devon TQ7 4BG, United Kingdom