Haunted Hosts

The Albion Hotel occupies one of the oldest hospitality sites on the Isle of Wight, with roots stretching back to the early 1700s when two small inns stood at the water’s edge in Freshwater Bay. The Mermaid Inn occupied the western side while a building known as The Cabin sat to the east, both serving the local smuggling trade and the occasional traveller brave enough to venture to this remote stretch of coastline. Thomas Rowlandson painted the bay and its inns in 1791, providing the earliest visual record of the site. A devastating storm in 1824 destroyed much of Freshwater, though the Mermaid Inn survived. In the early 1830s, a man named Plumbly constructed the first Albion Hotel adjoining the surviving inn, rapidly expanding it with a southward extension during the 1840s. Queen Victoria’s decision to build Osborne House transformed the Isle of Wight into a fashionable destination for wealthy Victorians, and the Albion benefited enormously. A further extension was added in the 1850s, and the hotel received a Royal Warrant, becoming The Royal Albion Hotel. Queen Victoria herself is believed to have stayed, and the two luxury suites still carry the names Albert and Victoria. The hotel thrived through the Victorian era before falling into quieter times during the World Wars. A revival came in the 1960s with the popularity of the Isle of Wight Festival, when the Albion became a gathering point for musicians and festival-goers. The Royal prefix was dropped during this period. By the early 2020s the hotel had become dated and tired, prompting new owners David and Liz Walker of A2K Leisure to undertake a comprehensive 6 million pound refurbishment over 18 months, completed in 2024. The renovation balanced modern luxury with the building’s Victorian heritage.