The Spaniard/Ravens nightclub, -- on the A3

Juat after the hindhead tunnel you may have seen the ruins of a once grand building. Now left to the woods to retake and held up with scaffolding this was once a public house and nightclub.

Dating back to at least the 1790's this building started life as the Seven Thorns Hotel. Its said to have been a refuge for a notorious highwayman known as " jack" who robbed many people along the portsmouth road, and even body snatchers are said to have used the buildings cellers.

later it was known as the The Spaniard, and more recently the ravens nightclub.
Fire took the building in the late 1990s and it has been forgotten ever since.


1 by SMCGILL09, on Flickr

A look at The Seven Thorns in its prime


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr

The sorry state of it now


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr

Once the dance floor


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr

where the sign once hung


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr

is this the barn where fleetwood mac started??


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr

how many people have past through these doors?


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr

lots of these laying around the site


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr

The original roof timbers can still be seen


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr


Untitled by SMCGILL09, on Flickr

Good report

awesome report. some brilliant photos, i especially like the one where the wires n such are wrapped around the tree branches. it's almost like nature fighting with technology, to reclaim. mesmerised by that photo. many thanks.

if your ever heading down to porstmouth Rusty stop and see it for yourself, theres loads of electrical stuff around the sight.

The fourth last pic, is that like clay tiles and the red bricks crumbling away to give that effect? Really like that pic, thanks for sharing!

brilliant strider, thanks.

Stussy said:

The fourth last pic, is that like clay tiles and the red bricks crumbling away to give that effect? Really like that pic, thanks for sharing!

Click to expand...

yea round the back most of the bottom floor is held up with breze blocks but the upper level has some old tile slowly falling apart.

It's a right mess isn't it. Did you know Fleetwood Mac used to rehearse there in a building out back before they got famous in the 60s?

yea i read about that. the out building is completely collapsed.
storys of people using the cellers to store bodies back in the 1700's as well. the ground out the back is full of holes, you can see down quite away, im guessing theses r the cellers. the whole building is a shell im surprised its still standing and they havent torn it down by now

I reckon you had an enjoyable time nosing around this site, it shows in your report. Nice pics as well, Thanks.

What a mess, but it looked a great mouch,thanks for sharing.

Nice report

If walls could talk eh?

ahh thats what it was i have been past this so many times on the way to portsmouth and always wondererd what it was. ill have to stop there the next time i go. brill pics aswell nice 1