The Royal Hotel Cardiff
The Royal Hotel on St Mary Street opened in 1866 and is often called Cardiff's oldest grand hotel. It is best known for the 1910 dinner held here for Captain Scott's Antarctic expedition, and today it is a 60-bedroom hotel in the heart of the city centre.
Photos
Royal Hotel Cardiff by Belvilla
A grand Victorian hotel
Designed by C. E. Bernard and built between 1864 and 1866, the Royal stands on the corner of St Mary Street and Wood Street and is Grade II listed. Its opening dinner was held in July 1866, when Cardiff was booming on the coal trade. The hotel closed in 2001 and was fully refurbished ahead of the 2011 centenary of its most famous evening.
The Captain Scott connection
On 13 June 1910, two days before Robert Falcon Scott's expedition ship left Cardiff for Antarctica, a fundraising dinner for the expedition was held here. A plaque by the St Mary Street entrance marks the event, and the first-floor room where it took place was renamed the Captain Scott Room in 1982. The Captain Scott Society was founded in Cardiff the following year.
Staying here
With 60 bedrooms, the Royal is a mid-sized option right on St Mary Street, so restaurants, bars and shops are on the doorstep. Bonnie Rogues and the Prince of Wales are a minute away for a drink, and Uncommon Ground Coffee Roastery is next door for breakfast coffee. History fans should ask about the Captain Scott Room during their stay.
Highlights
- Opened 1866; Grade II listed
- Venue of the 1910 Captain Scott expedition dinner
- Captain Scott Room and commemorative plaque
- 60 bedrooms on St Mary Street
- Refurbished for the 2011 centenary
Good to know
- Look for the Captain Scott plaque beside the St Mary Street entrance.
- The hotel is on the corner of St Mary Street and Wood Street in the city centre.
Frequently asked questions
Nearby
Sources: en.wikipedia.org