PRINCESS VICTORIA AND HER MOTHER VISIT TORQUAY IN 1833
by Arthur Ellis |
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Princess Victoria aged about 16 with her mother, the Duchess of Kent |
"The Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria spent a night in Torquay in 1833 when the Princess was aged 14. This was the only occasion that Victoria visited Torquay although after her accession, she was in the Bay more than once.
On this occasion, the royal party arrived on August 1st in the Emerald yacht, towed by a Royal Navy steamer, the Messenger*. Although the visit was unexpected, the visitors were received with due honours. The Royal Standard was hoisted on the pier (either that at the foot of Beacon Terrace or the fish quay). Before landing the visitors received Sir William Mulcaster and Mr. Henry George Cary to ascertain whether it would be their pleasure to receive a congratulatory address. As the Regatta was in progress, there were about fifty yachts present to lend congratulation to the scene. The Duchess and the Princess were rowed ashore in a galley and landed opposite the Civet Cat, a fancy shop at No 6 Victoria Parade as the street is now known.
The steps and landing place were covered with cloth and decoration, while crowds of people quickly assembled, which the Coastguards, hastily summoned together, but had difficulty in keeping back. The schoolchildren were drawn up, forming a lane to the Royal Hotel, where the Duchess and Princess made a short stay and where Mr. Cary read an address to which a gracious reply was returned.
The visit however was marred somewhat by an accident. A boot maker named Dart endeavoured to break through the cordon to present the Princess with a pair of boots. A struggle took place, in the course of which he was wounded in the eye by the bayonet of a coastguard. The Duchess expressed her great regret at the accident and directed the victim to be sent to the hospital, and not only defrayed all expenses but granted him an annuity as he had lost his sight.
In commemoration of their future queen's landing, the name Victoria Parade was given to this length of Beacon Hill."
* For many years, it was customary for Royal Yachts to be towed by a paddle steamer - a desperately slow process which eventually led to Queen Victoria commissioning a steam yacht for her use. Presumably towing was considered safer than attempting to sail the early royal yachts. |
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The exterior of the Garden Room at "The Glen" |
"After resting at the hotel, the royal guests visited the grounds of Mrs Elizabeth Whitehead, who had been a lady-in-waiting to the Duchess when living at Sidmouth some years before. Mrs Whitehead resided at Babbacombe* with two of her daughters.
Mrs. Whitehead's home, was a thatched " cottage orné* " known as "The Glen". It had a garden room detached from the house and built right on the shore line with uninterrupted views of the sea. This is where the young Princess Victoria and her mother took tea with their old friend during their visit.
On their return to the hotel, a number of residents were received.
Next morning, the ladies walked to the pier, preceded by the band playing the national Anthem and escorted by the inhabitants. Here they embarked for Plymouth under salutes from the cannon on the hill and yachts in the harbour. Before leaving the Princess expressed a wish to examine the regatta cups, of which she was pleased to approve. "
* A house built to look like a rural cottage on the outside but with al the comforts of home inside. It was a designed as a place of rural retreat where the high and mighty could enjoy idealised experiences of rural life. Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III built a cottage at Kew as a rural retreat for occasional picnics etc. |
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The interior of the Garden Room seen above. This is where Princess Victoria and her mother took tea with their former Lady-in Waiting, Elizabeth Whitehead. |
*When George IV died he left no heir. He was succeeded by his brother William who became William IV and who, although he had a large illegitimate family, was to have no legal heirs. The remaining brothers realised that their duty was to marry and produce legitimate children as soon as possible. The Duke of Kent (next in Line of Succession) swiftly proposed marriage to Princess Victoria , widow of a German prince who already had had a daughter. Neither had much money so after the birth of his own daughter Victoria in 1819, in December of that year, the Duke of Kent took a lease on Woolbrook Cottage in Sidmouth - a place where, having secured the Succession, he intended to live quietly and cheaply. with his growing family His plan would not be realised however. One winter's afternoon he went for a walk along the seashore and caught a chill which rapidly turned into pneumonia. His physicians could not save him and he died 23 January 1820. The Duchess of Kent was once again a widow. It was under these tragic circumstances that Mrs. Whitehead earned the affection of both the Duchess and little Princess Victoria. |
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Now a hotel known as The Royal Glen, this house was once known as Woolbrook Cottage where Princess Victoria lived for a brief spell. From our post card collection |
© M.E. Brine. This page last updated
21 September, 2011
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