History of The Royal York

Originally built in 1771 as houses, the building was converted into a hotel in 1819.  Royal York was named after the Regent's brother, Frederick Duke of York, by royal permission, and was first opened to the public on September 27th 1819.

Returning from a trip to France on October 15th 1829, the Duke and Duchess of Clarence, later to become King William IV and Queen Adelaide, disembarked from The Admiralty Yacht moored at The Chain Pier, to stay at the Royal York.  The band of the 15th Hussars played in front of the hotel, and a huge crowd in The Steine cheered for them until they appeared on the balcony over the portico.  The suite of rooms on the first floor overlooking The Steine were given to the Royal couple for their stay and consisted of a bedroom for the Duke (now the William Suite), a bedroom for the Duchess (now the Adelaide suite) and a reception room (now the Clarence Suite) together with other ancillary rooms.

Nineteenth century hotels, frequented by nobility and smart people of the time, such as Royal York, were designed for guests who rented a suite of rooms.  The idea of communal dining rooms and sitting areas as we know today did not evolve until the end of the century.  The apartments in Royal York were elegantly furnished and were very popular with the fashionable set who came to Brighton and to the Court at The Pavilion.

Unfortunately, the old Visitors' Book of the hotel has not survived.  However, it is known that many famous people of the time did stay at the Royal York.  There are records that state that on July 30th 1822 the Duke and Duchess of Richmond and the Duke and Duchess of Argyll stayed at the hotel after attending the Brighton races.  Later in the same year, the Marquess of Salisbury dined there, as did the speaker of the House of Commons, Henry Manners-Sutton.  There are also details of an episode where The Duke of York sent a piece of a large sturgeon fish from The Pavilion over to the Royal York Hotel for the Russian Ambassador to enjoy.  It shows how close the relationship was between the palace and the hotel.  Much of this information can be found in the archives of the Brighton Herald, Brighton Gazette or the Sussex Advertiser.

Charles Dickens, William Thackeray and Harrison Ainsworth were also all visitors.  Infact, there seems to be a reference to the hotel in Thackeray's Vanity Fair.  In 1840, Benjamin Disraeli was a guest at the Royal York, while his great adversary William Gladstone, was seen coming out of the main entrance to the hotel and talking to the Austrian Ambassador in March 1894.

In 1901 the hotel was brought by the charismatic Harry Preston, who extended the building and modernised the hotel dramatically.  He was a famous bantam-weight amateur boxer and was friends with many of the great sportsmen of his day, such as W. G. Grace.  As a result, many of these famous friends became regular guests at The Royal York.  Other celebrities of the time also stayed at the hotel, including Wilbur Wright soon after his first flight as did many of the biggest names in theatre and entertainment such as Sir Henry Wood.  In 1910, Mr Lloyd George entertained friends at Royal York, as it was renowned for its excellent food and wine.

In 1929 the hotel was sold to the forerunner of Brighton and Hove City Council, and was used as offices until the council vacated the building in 2003. It then stood empty until it was bought by Imperial Property Company in 2006.

The current owners have undertaken an extensive refurbishment of the building, and are proud to have restored this historic and beautiful hotel.  Their aim has been to bring back the fun, the colour and the vibrancy of the Regency period when the hotel first opened.  This is particularly apparent in the William and Adelaide suites, as well as in the restaurant.  They have also tried to create a sense of eclectic elegance and comfort as was popular in the Victorian era, and the bar and lounge areas pay tribute to the novelists and statesmen of the time.  The more relaxed glamour of the Edwardian days can be seen in the bedrooms and is a trend running through the whole hotel.

Royal York is delighted to be opening its doors as a hotel again after nearly 80 years, and perhaps the statesmen, novelists, inventors, sports heroes and celebrities of tomorrow will come and enjoy our hospitality as they did during the past two hundred years.....