The year 1973 was when Princess Anne married Mark Phillips and to mark the occasion Oxford brewers Morrells crafted a new beer so people in the city could celebrate.

The same year German wine flowed freely at the Oxford Bonn Society.

Oxford Mail:

And guests were forced to flee in their nightclothes when part of the Crown Hotel in Faringdon caught fire.

Damage costing tens of thousands of pounds was caused to the 16th century building when the blaze swept through one wing in November 1973.

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Four guests were evacuated, two of them losing all their possessions.

The Oxford Mail reported: “The fire started shortly before 6am and within 10 minutes, a large section of the first floor of the wing at the rear of the 23-bedroomed hotel was blazing fiercely.

 

Oxford Mail: “When the brigade from Faringdon arrived, a large section of the roof was also well alight.”

Crews from Reading, Wantage and Bampton reinforced the Faringdon brigade, and a turntable ladder from Swindon was also sent.

The hotel had changed hands two weeks earlier and new owner Hugh Corbett and manager Trustram Eve had been discussing new fire precautions for the building.

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Mr Eve, alerted to the blaze by one of his staff, said at the time: “I rushed downstairs and into the courtyard. I could see flames through some of the upstairs windows. Mr Corbett had also been awakened. While one of our staff phoned for the brigade, we roused guests and staff.”

The Faringdon brigade was at the scene within four minutes, but by then, the guests – two married couples – had been evacuated.

Mr Eve added: “Fortunately, the fire had not got too strong a hold and we were able to get everyone out safely, although one couple lost all their clothes.”

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Days earlier, a staff member and her son had moved from a bedroom above the kitchen, where it was thought the fire started. This room was destroyed in the blaze.

One of the guests, Brian Baker, from London, said: “I opened the bedroom door and was met by thick smoke. I woke my wife and we managed to throw on a few clothes.”

More than 20 firemen fought the fire and managed to confine it to one wing.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.