Brightlingsea: The former Royal Hotel

Image: © Nigel Cox Taken: 17 Mar 2019

This is the former Royal Hotel in New Street. The Brightlingsea Museum's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/brightlingseamuseum/photos/a.262034257141009/2055158497828567/?type=1&theater has a photograph of the hotel dating from around 1910, and they also write:- "The Royal Hotel is first listed in Directories in 1892, although we know it was open the year before as a ball was held to celebrate the 100th birthday of Thomas Summersun - although it's not thought he attended. The tower on the top was probably to give guests a view of the boats and yachts, many of their guests would have been yacht owners. In 1916 it was sold for £975, plus £344 for fixtures and fittings. Shortly after that it was used as an officers mess for the Australian Royal Engineers. It closed in the mid 1950s when Astralux took the building over." It is shown as an engineering works on the large scale Ordnance Survey maps of 1970 and 1980. The 1911 Census shows the following residents:- Kate Eliza Andrews, aged 45, manageress Bertha Andrews, her daughter, aged 16, assistant manageress Mabel Lily Barker, aged 22, barmaid Florence Eunice Rowland Raison, aged 20, waitress Grace Elizabeth Burnes, aged 22, kitchen maid Percy Jack Long, aged 20, boots Edward Ferraby Walsh, aged 47, a boarder and a straw hat manufacturer A Mr Clarke of unknown age and occupation

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