The
band played and the bells rang out in December 1819 when the Duke and Duchess
of Kent, with the infant Princess Victoria, arrived at Woolbrook Cottage, now
the Royal Glen Hotel.
Their stay, however, was tragically short, for the Duke
died on January 23rd from complications after a heavy cold. His coffin lay in
state here for several days and was seen by some 3000 people. But the funeral
was delayed because of the death, six days later, of his father, King George III.
Not until February 7th did the cortege leave Sidmouth through streets lined by
silent crowds. In 1856 Edward, Prince of Wales, stayed at the Royal York Hotel,
visiting Woolbrook Cottage to see where his grandfather died and where his mother
slept as a baby.
Fortunately, not all Sidmouth’s royal connections are
tinged with such sadness. A favourite Royal visitor was the Duke of Connaught,
Queen Victoria’s third son. He first came in 1931 and in 1934 gave his name to
Connaught Gardens so admired today by visitors from all over the world.
Much
of Sidmouth’s history is gleaned from the Blue Plaques on the buildings which
mirror the era when the nobility and members of London Society built fine houses
here. Many still exist, while others have become hotels without losing their Regency
charm. The cob-walled Old Ship Inn, originally thought to be a monastery, dates
back to 1350 and it was certainly a smugglers’ rendezvous in the days of brandy
for the parson and baccy for the clerk. Fortfield Terrace is another example
of the style of the day. Here, a doubleheaded eagle commemorates the stay of the
Grand Duchess of Russia in 1831. She brought a retinue of 100 gentlemen, ladies
and servants and among the guests at a reception she gave was the Sidmouth artist
and historian, Peter Orlando Hutchinson, whose diaries and sketches are a vivid
picture of 19th century life in Sidmouth. Copies are among the treasures at the
Museum next to the ancient parish church of St. Giles and St. Nicholas. |
