After the death of Mrs Clara Spindler in 1906, the house remained unsold and empty for the next forty years. Other buildings and land on the estate were occupied and used during that period, but not the main house.
William Thornton, and his wife, Evelyn, who lived in the Midlands, in Sutton Coldfield, were on holiday in Ventnor just before the start of WW2 in 1939. Walking along the cliffs from Ventnor towards Niton, one day, they happened to catch sight of Old Park through the trees and undergrowth. Curious, they managed to get nearer to the building, and found this large, abandoned house, covered in ivy, and almost hidden from sight.
They returned home, living there throughout the war, with their son, Robin, born in 1936. but William never forgot the house in the trees, was intrigued and fascinated by it, and had plans for it in his head. Evelyn already had relatives in Ventnor: her father lived there, as did her sister. As soon as possible, after the end of the war, they made the move to the Island, and bought a small guest house on Ventnor Esplanade. Then began the task of finding the owners of Old Park, not an easy undertaking and one which took about three years to complete. However, eventually, in 1948, “Bill and Eve” were able to purchase the house, lodge, stables, coachman’s cottage and grounds.
They must have known from the start that the only way that the three of them would be able to live there was to find a source of income, not only for their day-to-day living, but also the ongoing expense of restoration and upkeep of such a large, old, neglected building. I don’t know when they decided that it should be a hotel, probably long before they actually purchased it. The only way that the work could be completed was little by little, one room at a time, taking guests as accommodation became available.
Of course, it wasn’t only the house that needed restoration, but also the overgrown grounds that needed hours of work. I don’t remember Bill telling me that they had very much assistance; a friend from the Midlands, Bill Cashmore, who had moved to the Island, seemed to be the main helper. Various relatives – Bill’s sister-in-law, and Eve’s sister Grace also lent a hand in looking after guests.
on. One can only imagine the times of frustration, worry and exhaustion as they battled on to achieve their vision. But they did achieve it, and in the process, rescued a fine, historic property from further decay, and gave it another life.
This photo was probably taken about 1950, fairly soon after restoration began.