THE PONSMERE HOTEL

History Of The Ponsmere Hotel

Parts of the Hotel date back to the middle of the last century. In particular the Television Lounge and the Cellars. The original house was built for a local mine owner, Captain John Oates, as his summer house. He was the owner of the Great Wheal Leisure Mine which at the time, in 1870, was the richest Copper Mine in the district.

The house was bought in 1924 by Peter Batchelor‘s Grandfather and Grandmother, William and Agnes, to convert into a Hotel.

With the extensions completed it could then take 60 guests, who tended to be wealthier types. At that time, there were two railway stations in Perranporth - Perranporth Station (where the Industrial Estate is now), and Perranporth Beach Halt by St Michaels Church. Trains from Perranporth could go straight to Paddington, but only on Saturdays!

With the onset of War the hotel was compelled to close. However, in 1943 the Americans requisitioned the Ponsmere Hotel for their Headquarters. This was so they could practise Landing Exercises on the Beach in preparation for D.Day - primarily because the beaches at Perranporth are similar to those in Northern France.

As you can see by the photos above, the Hotel has been extended over the years. Some extensions were completed before the war and by the mid 1950's the Ponsmere could hold about 140 guests. The Reception Area was added in the early 1960's, whilst the Ballroom End was added in 1969 giving capacity for an extra 60 guests.

By the 1950's Peter Batchelor's Father and Mother, Jack and Muriel were running the Hotel, and it was they who changed the Hotel into a place where people could come and have a good family holiday, but still enjoy a high standard of care and service.

Peter joined the team in 1973, after being sent to work in some of the best hotels in Europe, and subsequently took over the running of the Hotel in 1977 when his father retired. He wanted it to be known as a Hotel where families could come and enjoy their holiday.

Peter has concentrated on further improving the facilities at the Hotel. Two swimming pools have been built, the outdoor one in 1982 and the indoor one in 1987, along with the sauna.

The Ponsmere Hotel's open 'season' has now grown to 10 months of the year, and also opens for the New Year period.

It is now the place not only for the holidays, but also for festivals such as "Lowender Peran", the Celtic Festival, Country Music Festival and the New Age Festival, with visitors coming from not only all over Britain but from many parts of Europe as well.

Ponsmere Hotel Brochures Of Yesteryear

A number of Ponsmere Hotel brochures have been produced over the years and glancing through them, it's interesting how times have changed.

The Batchelor family have owned the hotel since 1928 and luckily, some of the brochures from the seventies and eighties have been kept in their archives. There's even one from the 1920's which William and Agnes Batchelor had designed!

Now we give you the chance to see some of those brochures too. You never know, if you have been a guest at the Ponsmere Hotel in the past, you might spot yourself or maybe your parents in one of the photos!

Simply select the brochure you want to see from the History sub-menu at the top of the screen.