IT WAS one of Southampton's most famous hotels, welcoming theatrical stars and Saints legends through its doors.

But only part of the Southampton Park Hotel now remains as demolition work to tear the venue down continues.

However, as previously reported, the site's longstanding use for hospitality will continue, with Premier Inn set to build a brand new, £15m hotel.

The hotel in Cumberland Place, overlooking Watts Park, closed last year after it was put up for sale by owners the St James's Hotel Group.

The closure saw the end of the hotel's lengthy history, in which time it was a popular venue for Saints players and stars performing at the Mayflower Theatre.

It used to be called the Royal hotel before changing its name to the Southampton Park Hotel in 1980 after a change of ownership.

The 40 staff at the 72-bed hotel lost their jobs - but 50 jobs will now be created after Premier Inn took over the site and won planning permission to build a new hotel.

The number of bedrooms at the hotel will more than double from 72 to 157.

Ahead of the new hotel opening, demolition crews have moved on to the site and are tearing down the old hotel building.

Much of the building has now been reduced to rubble, with the prominent letters spelling out the hotel's name removed and only a small part of the original building remaining.

The county's business leaders welcomed the plans for the new hotel, with Hampshire Chamber of Commerce saying the extra rooms will be needed to meet the growing demand from the region's tourism industry.