THIS is a former hotel on Canvey which promised bed, breakfast and an optional slice of hell.

The Ozonia Hotel was constructed in 1936 at the southern end of Seaview Road and is thought to rank as one of the island’s most extravagant architectural achievements.

Constructed as a temperance hotel by esteemed architect Ernest George Trobridge, the building stood three storeys high and boasted a restaurant, dance hall, games room and even a grocery store – and looked like something straight from Hitchcock’s Bates Motel in Psycho. From the outside the building was curious in itself, but inside it harboured a darker secret.

Horrific murals were painted in numerous rooms including figures trying to escape demons from hell carrying pitch forks and whips.

Now photos of the extraordinary building are available to view on the Canvey Community Archive website.

Avid history fan Terry Garrett, who volunteers for the archive, said: “The internal decoration was truly bizarre. No conventional decorating for Mr Trobridge. He found a down on his luck artist who was commissioned to paint every room with designs and creations of every description.

“Who can say whether he was working to strict guidelines or had let his imagination run wild but the end result was a cocktail of delightful dream and vivid nightmare.

While some rooms were decked out as a beautiful garden or attractive aquarium others were quite horrific. One room had been painted to appear as if a large block of stone mason After the Second World War the business struggled and the hotel eventually fell derelict and was demolished. Surviving photos of the building can be viewed at canvey island.org