Some hotels have history. The Polurrian has stories.
We were recently contacted by the son of a former guest, a man who visited the Polurrian regularly in the 1950s, travelled down to Cornwall on his Vincent motorcycle, and got to know the hotel well enough that he eventually brought his own children to stay. Tucked among his father’s belongings were a handful of photographs from 1952. Unremarkable at first glance, until you look a little closer.
That summer, Clark Gable was a guest at the Polurrian.
Hollywood on the Lizard
Gable was at the height of his fame, already the man who had played Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind, already a screen legend whose name alone sold tickets worldwide. What he wanted, apparently, was what so many people have wanted when they find their way to this clifftop on the Lizard Peninsula: somewhere quiet, somewhere beautiful, and somewhere far enough from everything else to simply breathe.
He also, it seems, wanted a new Jaguar.
A brand-new XK120 was delivered to the hotel during his stay, one of the most desirable cars of its era, sleek and fast and unmistakably of its moment. Our guest’s father, a motorcyclist rather than a car man, found his Vincent parked in the garage alongside it. He did what any of us would do. He got out his camera.
The photographs he took that week, Gable with the Jaguar, the cars lined up outside the hotel, the Polurrian grounds looking much as they do today, have sat quietly in a family collection for over seventy years. We’re honoured to share them here.
Cars, Coast, and the Polurrian
There’s something fitting about the fact that one of the most enduring memories of the Polurrian’s past involves a beautiful car on a perfect stretch of Cornish coastline. Because this autumn, we’ll be welcoming that combination back.
The Loxley 500 arrives at the Polurrian on Tuesday 6th October, bringing together some of the finest classic and vintage vehicles in the country for a celebration of automotive history set against the backdrop of the Lizard Peninsula. If Clark Gable were around today, we’d like to think he’d enter the XK120.
Whether you’re a lifelong enthusiast or simply someone who appreciates beautiful things in beautiful places, the Loxley 500 is a weekend worth making the journey for. See more info and register your interest here: Loxley 500
A Hotel Worth Coming Back To
What strikes us most about the photographs isn’t the celebrity, it’s the continuity. The same view, the same clifftop air the same sense that once people find the Polurrian, they tend to keep coming back.
Our guest’s father did his family did and we hope you will too.
The Loxley 500 takes place from Friday 2nd October to friday 9th October. Find out more and book your stay at polurrian.com
