Following Tuesday night’s blaze that tore through the former Gaiety Amusement Arcade site on Ventnor’s seafront, News OnTheWight spoke to the owners this afternoon (Wednesday), whilst being invited to exclusively film and photograph inside the site of The Gaiety.
Fire crews from on and off the Island spent around eight hours bringing the blaze under control, after it was reported to emergency services just before 6pm on Tuesday evening.
The family, Sandra and Malcolm Young, Laura and Alfie Caudery, said,
“Firstly I’d like to say how relieved my family and I are to know that no one was injured in last night’s fire.
“We’re incredibly grateful to our neighbours for quickly alerting the Emergency Services who sent teams from across the Island to work through the night to keep the blaze under control.”
“Deep sadness at losing the very part of the building we have been working so hard to preserve”
The family went on to explain,
“Whilst investigations are underway we cannot comment further on how the fire started, but can only express our deep sadness at losing the very part of the building we have been working so hard to preserve.
“Planning has been lengthy, and complex, for many reasons – beyond just the site and building – and most recently our time has been focused on saving the dome which was an integral part of our design to restore the Gaiety to its former glory and preserve such an historic feature of the Esplanade. To see what has happened is devastating.”
See inside the site
This short video below takes you right inside the site, with debris still smoldering.
Check out the photos below for more detail.
Click on images and arrow through to see larger versions
Appreciative of local support
Laura told News OnTheWight the family were hugely appreciative of the local support, such as The Met Bar providing food and drink for the fire crews, and The Wellington Hotel putting up neighbours who had been evacuated.
The family said,
“We have always worked with local teams and are grateful for their help as we try to secure the safety of the site for neighbours and visitors alike, appreciating the additional challenges we will now face.
“It’s been ten years since we first visited Ventnor and fell in love with this special corner of the Island. We are committed to the town and our future here and are just so very saddened by this latest set-back. Again, our sincere thanks to the Fire Brigade, Police and Ambulance Service for all their hard work and help through a long night.”
Arson Investigation
An investigation into the cause of the fire is being carried out, and following an inspection of the site by the Fire Service, it was handed back to the owners this afternoon.
The family added,
“We hope to have a clearer picture in the coming days but our immediate focus is on securing the site as soon as possible to try to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum for everyone.”
Hampshire Constabulary confirm they are investigating the cause and treating the incident as arson. Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting the reference 44220226052.
Plans for the site
Plans to demolish and rebuild as a private dwelling were approved by the Isle of Wight council in 2019.
Demolition work began at the site last month, as John Peck Construction started peeling away at the layers of the building.
It’s worth noting that the much-loved dome has always been integral to those designs – even before it was discovered that significant elements of the historic building fabric and structure had remained intact and could perhaps be used, rather than demolished and rebuilt.
