The Bridge Hotel, Sutton Bridge

A great building from the 'railway era' which could be seen for miles around. The hotel was a hub of the community and had a fantastic ballroom, restaurants and bedrooms which boasted running water and Dunlop mattresses. The telephone number was simply 222.
Many people came by rail to stay at Sutton Bridge.
The hotel from around 2000 was used by an employment agency called StaffSmart to house workers they had lured over to the UK from South Africa to work in the local canning factory which I believe was then called HLFoods (now Princes). People came from SA on the promise of hotel accommodation and didn't know until they got here that it meant inside the shell of the BRIDGE HOTEL on damp mattresses lined up in each room, including the Ballroom.
After StaffSmart vacated the hotel, it stood empty with broken windows until it was bought and restored to a high standard with plush furnishings and chandeliers. It was so beautiful. However, the hotel rooms were pricey and without the rail trade of people heading to the village, people would be passing through and tended to stay in cheaper accommodation such as the Travelodge at Long Sutton. The hotel wasn't open for long before closing down and ownership passed through several hands whilst falling further into disrepair.
In 2015, workmen were seen removing tiles from the roof and also floorboards (authorised or not?) They were removing the boards from beneath beds yet the beds and other furniture they didn't want remained in situ. I expect the hotel was stripped of these by salvage hunters/reclamation companies etc... I suppose the fate of the hotel was sealed then as it was reportedly going to be demolished. Demolition didn't happen though and thinking it may be imminent and we may not get another chance, my group of Urban Explorers accessed the hotel easily and without damage (as the building had been left unsecured) As with any URBEX, we respect where we are, do not take souvenirs or cause any damage whatsoever, and are there only to photograph the decay of wherever we are. With trepidation, we walked through the hotel capturing as many photos as possible but it was extremely dangerous due to the lack of floors.
Upon getting into the roof where the tiles had been taken on the east side, the view was exhilarating. This can be seen on the video. I expect we were the very last people to savour that view because days later I heard the hotel was on fire and watched in horror as the building I loved was ravaged by fire.
As the hotel was so devastated by fire, I expect the fire investigators couldn't pinpoint the cause and police have blamed arson due to the building not being secure and there was evidence of people having access to it.
Yes of course people had access to it. Rear doors were open!! They had been for some time and I heard homeless were living in there, although there were no traces we could see, apart from the general trashing of the place but that may have been done by the salvage hunters who took the floorboards and roof tiles. I fully expect the true cause of the fire to have been electrical as power was still being fed into the building. We observed at least two lights switched on as was the main fusebox. We left them on as it wasn't our place to touch them, plus the worry of electrocution because of water damage from the lack of roof.
After taking our photographs, we left the hotel exactly as we found it. It was a very sad sight but all we could do was document its demise.
We didn't know when viewing the Bridge Hotel how soon it would be destroyed. I can't imagine the Bridge without the Bridge Hotel. It would've been protected if it had been a listed building. It could have become apartments. Instead the local council listed a red telephone box! Absolutely ridiculous as they won't vanish or be engulfed in flames. A red telephone box is just used as a gents toilet. If they'd listed the hotel then the owner would be liable for its upkeep.
People don't value the things around them... the hotel, the shops etc... I doubt the hotel will ever rise again.

Enjoy....