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Tiki Central / Locating Tiki / Beachcomber, Shanklin Hotel, Isle of Wight, Shanklin, Isle of Wight, UK (bar)

Post #805328 by TIKIWAGON on Fri, Sep 2, 2022 10:49 PM

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Article from Shanklin Historical society Magazine 2019 :- In January 1956 the Shanklin Hotel was advertised for sale at an auction in Southampton. A notice in the Birmingham Daily Post offered the freehold property with '74 bedrooms, some with baths ensuite, 15 bathrooms, magnificent Public Rooms, Ballroom, Sundeck Roof Garden, Tennis Court, Gardens, Garage, Central Heating, Lift to all floors'. It is believed that the purchaser was Ben Brown, formerly a purser with P&O Cruises. He is said to have got the idea for creating the hotel’s Polynesian Beachcomber Bar, complete with live alligator pool, from his world travels. Ben Brown may also have been responsible for the unusual 8ft x 8ft 6in nail wall sculpture in the reception area commissioned in 1962 from Canadian artist David Partridge (1919-2006) who was then living in London. The artist called his works was ‘configurations’ or ‘naillies’ and there are examples in many public galleries including the National Gallery of Canada and the Tate in London. The Shanklin Hotel sculpture, named `Galaxy’, is also musical producing random tunes when a coin is dropped through the nails - it is not clear if this is by design or chance. S&DHS Vice President Andrew Asher, recalls the refurbished hotel from when he and Rosemary held their wedding reception there in 1963. The event took place in the glass pavilion which no longer remains. At that time Andrew believes the hotel was managed by Miss Grundy and Roland Ellis on behalf of the owners, the Moores family of Littlewoods football pools, retail and patronage of the arts fame. The nail sculpture which is still in the hotel reception and the now lost Beachcomber Bar and Alligator Pool Hotel advertisements in newspapers around the country in the 1970s boasted of nightly dancing in the Starlight Room and the 'now famous' Beachcomber Bar. The bar closed in the late 1980s, in the 2000s the room was used for indoor short mat bowling and in 2018 it was converted to provide additional hotel accommodation. During the refurbishment works a pre-decimal drinks menu for the Beachcomber Bar was found below the floorboards - Babycham 1/9, a pint of bitter 2/6 and V.S.O.P. Brandy 4/-.