Best Western
Bulkeley Hotel
History - Princess Victoria
 In 1829 someone decided the
promised visit of the future Queen Victoria, then Princess of Wales, to
Beaumaris warranted the building of what might loosely be called the finest
beach house in North Wales.
It is said over 400 houses were
demolished to create the space needed for 'this house with a view'. The
house would stand by the sea with uninterrupted views across the Straits to
the mountains of Snowdonia. It would be a house fit for the future Queen of
the most powerful empire the world had yet seen.
In 1832 the town hosted the
Beaumaris Royal Eisteddfod and saw the visit of the Princess Victoria. The
evening of August 8, 1832 was a memorable one in the history of the hotel.
The heiress to the throne was staying and there was a magnificent dinner to
celebrate Sir Richard Bulkeley's second marriage. Unfortunately the princess
did not stay long and the reasons caused some trouble between the Bulkeley
family and the Marquis of Anglesey at Plas Newydd near Menai Bridge.
The story goes that someone
painted a picture of terror and danger about the cholera then in the town,
ending with the suggestion that she might go to Plas Newydd instead. This
she did, and the elegant house in Beaumaris stood empty and forlorn. It is
said that the decision and the reasons behind it caused something of a rift
between the two most important families on Anglesey.
Incidentally it is believed the
princess stayed in Room 16. In spite of the curtailing of the visit one can
imagine the excitement caused in Beaumaris. The house full of ladies in wide
crinoline dresses was one of the reasons the corridors in the hotel are so
spacious.
It seems strange to think that
this building came into being to accommodate the visit of one person, it
says much about those times and the status of its builders the Bulkeley
family. They considered such an expense to be well worth the effort for
their increased social standing. |
Contact Us
