Sir, The Royal Gatehouse was built in 1857. It is the apotheosis of Tenby's hey day. This huge hotel, designed by James Thomson, was unique to the town, with its elaborate Italianate style popularised by Queen Victoria's Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. The railway arrived ready for the Bank Holiday Act of 1871, and George Ace's motor wagonettes were ferrying hundreds of visitors to the Gatehouse which by 1907 had its own private garaging. Between 1870 and 1920, the Gatehouse hosted the great Tenby Hunt Week fancy dress balls at the Assembly Rooms (now the Royal Playhouse Cinema). The entertainment brought much-needed wealth to the town in the winter months and the opportunity for raising funds for charity by attracting the wealthy patrons. The Gatehouse's towering façade stands proud and dominant on the North Beach promenade. The narrow road pinched by the entrance porch provides a welcome enclosure for pedestrians against the North winds. This is bold, assuring architecture that only the Victorians could do. Unfortunately, it appears to have been neglected by its recent owners and left to ruin. Now we see (save the town, not the building - Observer, April 11) that local business people are predicting the ruin will bring bad business and they want to see the three remaining bays pulled down. This, I believe, is short-term interest promoted at the expense of long-term benefit. Listed building law insists that the structure must be saved if at all possible. The engineering report is advisory and does not override the legal duty to save. Rebuilding is not saving; what has to stay is real fabric and not a facsimile. Assurance was given by the Park at the public meeting last week that it will be saved if the engineers say it could be. That is why the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park has a duty to ensure that an independent engineer reviews the structure - one especially qualified in the conservation of listed buildings and with an interest in the preservation of historic monuments. There are a number of examples of historic buildings that have been utterly gutted by fire and restored quickly and beautifully - Windsor Castle, Uppark, Theatre Powys and many others. There are excellent builders around that can do this sort of work with skill and speed. It is critical that the right engineers are given adequate time to study the structure properly. Hopefully, they'll do their utmost to support the remaining facades with the minimum of restriction to the roadway, and allow business to run as usual whilst the reinstated parts of the new building are planned. This is a matter of national interest, not simply a local public vote fired by a Wild West style lynch mob. Murray John, Tenby.
