I try to be thorough when doing my research, that's the point of doing the book; to give out accurate and carefully checked information.
I have spent the last few days doing just that. I have been looking into the builder and first owner of the Swanage Grand Hotel, that was quite easy. What I have then tried to do is to find out whether the hotel was built on new land or if there was a building there before. A red herring I was thrown was from a newspaper report of the opening celebrations which quoted the first owner as saying "never in his experience had he known a house more eminently adapted ..... for the purpose which it was intended to serve" (Western Gazette 31st March 1899). This made me think that the hotel was adapted from a house as some of the Grands have been. I found an auction for a house and land in a position in Swanage, which sounded just like the position of the Grand Hotel. I checked census records and maps and from the location came to the conclusion that I must be right. I even did some digging into the family who lived in the house. Then, whilst I was on a local history website I though I would be even more thorough and checked a Kelly's Directory for 1915, and sadly this house I was convinced was transformed into the Grand Hotel was still there and occupied by a family.
Seems I will have to go back to square one. It could have been worse; I could have written about it already, thank goodness I didn't.
Still, I enjoyed that bit of research even if it was a waste of time.
Back to the drawing board.....
Kommentare