Parts of Midhurst's Angel Hotel could be saveable after major fire

The seventeenth century inn has been evaluated by officers from the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) and Historic England, who are usually responsible for approving work on listed buildings, after a major fire on March 16.There is a historical obligation to protect the buildings impacted by the fire, which are listed and have considerable historical significance.

SDNPA has asked owners to temporarily shore up the buildings and been given permission to remove the hotel’s historic chimneys, which are at risk of collapse.

Structural engineers have advised that the removal work is likely to take up to six weeks, but the SDNPA is urging workers, owners and insurers to move this forward as quickly as possible in the hopes of completing the work sooner. The timeline, it is hoped, will become clearer over the coming week and, once the building is secure, it should be possible to open the road to vehicles.

The news comes as part of a wider update about the fate of the Angel Inn and the hard work of the recovery groups trying to rebuild after the tragedy. The group includes Chichester District Council, the county council, West Sussex Fire and Rescue, Midhurst Town Council and the SDNPA, and each one is ‘committed to doing everything they can to reopen the road to vehicles as soon as possible and support those businesses and residents affected by the incident,” a spokesperson said.

"They have stressed that the vast majority of businesses on North Street are ‘open for business’ and can all be accessed on foot from nearby car parks.”

Chichester District Council has arranged two drop-in sessions for residents and businesses in Midhurst. These will take place on Thursday, (April 6) from 10am to 12pm, and Wednesday April 12 from 2pm to 4pm, both at the SDNPA offices.

"All of the agencies involved are committed to doing everything they can to get the road reopened to vehicles as soon as possible and helping Midhurst to recover from this dreadful incident,” a spokesperson said.

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