Brighton hotel fire: Demolition of Royal Albion Hotel begins

Demolition has begun at the site of a 200-year-old hotel in Brighton, which was damaged by a fire.

The fire at the Regency-style Royal Albion Hotel - which overlooks Brighton Pier - broke out on Saturday evening.

Brighton and Hove City Council said parts of the building were "no longer structurally safe" and demolition work would take two to three weeks.

The Regency Society said it was hoping for a "faithful" restoration of the outside of the building.

Demolition of the building is expected to take two to three weeks

Sussex Police have launched an investigation into the fire at the 219-bedroom hotel.

Part of the building is Grade II*-listed by English Heritage and suffered a previous fire in November 1998.

The history of the Royal Albion Hotel

The oldest, and least damaged part of the hotel was the original Albion Hotel, built in 1836. This part is Grade II* listed.

The western section dates from the late 1850s and was known as the Lion Mansion Hotel. This is Grade II listed.

Between the two hotels were two lodging houses built in the mid-1840s. In 1938 they became Louis Tussaud's Waxworks. When this closed in 1979, the building was restored with a similar appearance to the original and, like Lion Mansion, was absorbed into the Royal Albion.

Source: Regency Society of Brighton and Hove

The Regency Society of Brighton and Hove described the building as of "unusual significance", given its prominent location in the city.

David Fisher, chair of the society, said: "The Regency Society is pleased to hear that 3D scans and photographs have been taken to aid accurate restoration.

"We hope that the external appearance of the building can be restored faithfully. It would be best, therefore, if demolition could be limited to what is strictly necessary for safety and access reasons."

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].