Albert Hotel

The hotel as it appeared in 1881

The Hastings and St. Leonards Albert Temperance Hotel to give the establishment its full name opened on Tuesday the 15th of November 1881 and was situated on the north corner of Albert Road and Queen's Road. Canon Wilberforce laid the foundation stone for the Coffee Palace Hotel Company there in 1881. A seven-course meal was held at the opening event, chaired by the Rev. Dr. Cross DCL. The premises featured an east-west corridor on each of its five upper floors and had between thirty and forty apartments, with the main coffee room overlooking the Central Cricket Ground and Town Hall. The tables were marble topped and provided, together with the gas-lighting and other fixtures by Mr. G. J. Fellows of 42 & 43 St. Andrew's Road

In 1884 it went into liquidation with its shareholders complaining there was too much competition in the town for the temperance trade. The next owner gave up temperance and applied for a full licence in 1885, granted in 1886. Business dramatically increased when it started serving alcohol to customers from the Gaiety Theatre next door. The licence was not renewed in 1888 because of opposition from the Globe Tavern two doors away. “This is not a normal hotel”, said the Globe manager, “it has been turned into an ordinary public house”. The magistrates noted that “there were the usual coloured glasses hung up around the bar, two barmaids and customers ‘tossing for beer’. The area is a perfect plum pudding of public houses”, they said. There were apparently 36 public houses within a quarter mile radius of the hotel.

After losing its alcohol license, the Albert closed in 1892/3. It is noted in local history as the birth place of the Hastings Chess Club in 1882. The ​building​ was demolished for the widening of Albert Road.

Images

• Images
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  Albert-Road-c1962

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  Hastings St Leonards - 1980s Footage Albert Road YouTube

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  Hastings St Leonards - 1980s Footage Albert Road1 YouTube