The Royal Hotel

A brief history of The Royal Hotel Scarborough

Situated in St. Nicholas Street (previously known as Long Room Street), on the site now occupied by The Royal Hotel Scarborough, stood The Long Room – a social venue opened in 1725, which was frequented by the visitors of the upper classes, used for reading, entertainment and meetings of all kinds and considered the centre of social activities for those who could afford it.

This was not Scarborough’s original Long Room, which records show in fact was to be found on what is now known as the Foreshore and was used as early as the late 17th or early 18th century. In 1733, in the reign of George II, the attractions of the Long Room were set out in a publication called “A Journey from London to Scarborough”. It was then managed by Mr. Vipont. There was a Muswisk Gallery and balls were held every evening, admission to which was one shilling. Various card games were played and Billiards (popular for more than a hundred years was also played – at this time a flat headed mace was used rather than the more modern cue).

The Long Room continued to be popular throughout the 18th Century and the Scarborough Guide of 1787 refers to it as being “…almost wholly destined to the use and accommodation of visitors”. In the Long Room there were two public rooms, Newstead’s and Donner’s, the Donner family having a long association with the Long Room. This association lead to the venue becoming known as Donner’s Hotel, a name that then lasted nearly 60 years and suggests a German or Swiss association.

Published in the Napoleonic War, the 1806 edition of Broadribb’s Scarborough Guide states “Donners Rooms are open for subscribers during the season. The Dress Nights are Mondays and Fridays, on which non-subscribers pay five shillings. Undress Night Wednesdays, the same. Every gentleman who dances pays two shillings for music. Ladies or gentlemen who drink tea, one shilling. These charges were high and were probably designed to maintain the select style of the Rooms.

Ainsworth’s Scarborough Guide of 1820 (the last year in the reign of George III) claims that the venue offers commanding open and beautiful views of the sea*. It goes on to say that the premises afford very desirable accommodation on the Harrogate Plan. The Harrogate Plan probably meant what is known as the American Plan whereby the innkeeper would apply a fixed charge for lodging only and all meals are charged separately.

Since Scarborough was the first seaside resort to be developed and was so for at least two and a half centuries, it would be safe to claim that Donner’s Hotel was the largest and finest in the North.

When did the present day name come into use? Well almost certainly in 1840, the name of The Royal Hotel appears in a Guide, referring to the hotel that was managed by Mrs. Ann Reed as of 1839. This change of name would appear to be as a result of the crowning of Queen Victoria. The Reeds (Ann and Mary) bought the hotel in 1845 (when business was blooming as a result of the opening of the York to Scarborough Railway Line) and they continued to manage the enlarged hotel until 1860.

In 1860 Mr. John Hall took over the hotel and during his tenure the great extension of 1862 was made and in 1863 six or seven houses on St Nicholas Cliff (in one of which Ann Bronte had died) were demolished for a new hotel. Almost opposite The Royal this site gave way to the building of The Grand Hotel. John Hall’s improvements invariably were his gamble to meet the threat of the new Grand Hotel and was greeted in Crosby’s 1863 Guide by these words “ “The Royal is the oldest and most aristocratic hotel in the town – it has been recently enlarged to double its former size and now has an imposing appearance”. John Hall continued to manage the property until 1867 and it is interesting to note that a certain William Janowski managed the hotel for a short period prior to this in 1863. He had what must have been an early example of a gift and souvenir shop in Harcourt Place, where he sold views of Scarborough that were fit to hang amongst the finest works of art. Many of his finer works of art found there way onto the walls around the hotel and remained there until recent years.

Mary Reed returned to manage the hotel from 1867 until its new owner John Woodhall purchased the Royal in 1869. John Woodhall was a successful banker who lived in St. Nicholas House (Now the Town Hall) opposite the hotel. By their additions and improvement Messrs. Hall and Woodhall had contrived to maintain the Royals position as the leading hotel in the town.

Recently we discovered yet another famous manager of The Royal Hotel in the 1880’s, on his retirement from a highly successful and decorated career in the army Major Thomas George Johnson came to Scarborough and far from retiring and enjoying the delights of the resort he became manager. What sets this man apart from any other highly decorated officer in the British Army is the fact that he was one of a hand full of survivors from the Valley of Death and the ill fated “Charge of the Light Brigade”. He lived in York House, Westbourne Grove and is buried in the old part of Scarborough Cemetery.

Famous people appear to have been drawn like a magnet to The Royal Hotel and they include one time owner Thomas Laughton whose brother was the Oscar wining Hollywood star Charles Laughton. Winston Churchill visited during his time in public office as well as privately and suites are named after each of these famous names, as well as the very famous Edith Sitwell. The impresario Robert Luff also added his own historical contribution to the long and fascinating story that is The Royal Hotel.