Ayr Station Hotel caught fire for the second time on Monday, with 15 fire engines attending the scene at the height of the blaze.
A 13-year-old male and a 17-year old male have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
As the blaze continues into the second day, five fire engines remain at the scene, as firefighters are still working to extinguish the blaze.
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When was the hotel built?
Ayr Station Hotel first opened in 1885 and was designed by the noted Scottish engineer Andrew Galloway.
Galloway was the chief engineer of the Glasgow and South Western Railway and also designed the Glaisnock Railway Viaduct at Cumnock.
The hotel cost £50,000 to build.
The building’s history
The hotel is a grade-B listed building, reflecting its historical significance.
It is built in the French-Renaissance château-style and served as both a hotel and traditional booking office.
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When the hotel first opened 138 years ago, it had 75 luxurious rooms and facilities including drawing and coffee rooms, to cater for its wealthy guests.
Visitors would spend their summer holidays on the Ayrshire coast and attend horse races, which are still popular in the area today.
Who owns it?
The Ayr Station Hotel is privately owned by Malaysian businessmen Mr Ung, who has a registered business address in London.
South Ayrshire Council said they had not previously attempted to buy the building, and they had no evidence to confirm there had been any recent change of ownership of the building.
The ground floor of the north wing of the building is owned by Network Rail and housed the station’s ticket office and all other station facilities.
Why is it derelict?
The building has been classed as dangerous under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003, which means it presents a clear and significant risk to people and property around it.
This is as a result of the building’s deteriorating condition, which included falling debris, loose roof slates, unsecured pipe work and unstable cast iron features.
A Dangerous Building Notice was first issued in July 2013, with a second notice issued in March 2018.
South Ayrshire Council said the issues had not been properly addressed by the owner, although Network Rail had taken action which ultimately allowed the station to reopen and serve passengers.
Conservation group SAVE Britain’s Heritage published a report last year which estimated that repair and restoration of the building would cost £9.2 million.
Hotel blazes
The ongoing blaze, which first started on Monday evening, is not the first time the hotel has caught fire.
The building previously caught fire in May this year, and a 17-year old male was charged following the incident.
Its listed status means that it protected under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.
The building’s future
South Ayrshire Council took the decision to demolish the southern section of the building in December of last year, although the funding has still not been found to carry the work out.
The council said the rest of the building is not in as poor condition as the southern section, and there are no plans to demolish the whole building.
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Councillors agreed to spend a further £744,000 on keeping protective scaffolding and sheeting in place around the building’s southern section until next May.
This is in addition to £80,000 spent on traffic management measures.
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