Historic Dorset Hotels: Langtry Manor, Bournemouth

Langtry Manor
East Cliff, Bournemouth BH1 3QB

Bertie & The Jersey Lily

�I was a country girl, fresh from the Isle of Jersey, thrust by a freak of fortune into the heart of London�s gayest society.�

And yet Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, the clergyman�s daughter from the Channel Islands, became one of the most feted British actresses of the time. She is, of course, better known as Lillie Langtry: star of such plays as The Degenerates.

But it is more for her long-standing affair with the man who would become King Edward VII - known to his mother, Queen Victoria, as �Bertie� - for which she is most famous.

Infatuated by Lillie, Edward purchased a plot of land in the quiet area of Bournemouth�s East Cliff where she could oversee the building of their very own country retreat - the foundation stone bears her initials and the date 1877.

The house is almost exactly the same now as it was then: The King�s chamber with its high ceiling to disperse cigar smoke; the large doors of the Langtry Suite to accommodate the wide dresses; the spy-hole above the dining hall where the future King would survey dinner guests before deciding whether to descend; and the Minstrel�s gallery and its tongue-in-cheek inscription �They say What they say? Let them say�.

Indeed, almost everywhere you look at The Langtry Manor Hotel you�re likely to find artefacts and inscriptions connected to a love affair which engrossed late-Victorian society.

Avoid the new... The following may not necessarily be linked to famous figures or events, but all offer accommodation in historic surroundings. Click on the links for further tariff and availability information.

Best Western Kings Arms. DORCHESTER. Dating back to 1720, the Kings Arms is said to have been previously patronised by both Queen Victoria and George IV. Expedia.co.uk

Bridge House Beaminster, The. BEAMINSTER. This medieval building is around 700 hundred years old and was formerly a priest�s house. Today it offers 14 en suite bedrooms, including accommodation in a converted coach house. Expedia.co.uk

Plumber Manor. STURMINSTER NEWTON. Owned and run by the very same family who built it in the early seventeenth century, the hotel provides accommodation in both the main house and a beautifully restored barn. Expedia.co.uk

Priory, The. WAREHAM. Constructed in the early sixteenth century from stone used in even older buildings which once stood on the site, The Priory offers 18 en suite rooms and over four acres of cottage gardens.. Expedia.co.uk

Wessex Royale Hotel. DORCHESTER. A Georgian townhouse dating back to 1756. Expedia.co.uk

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