Oscar Wilde's bedroom discovered during Royal Albion Hotel restoration

A piece of literary history emerges

A remarkable discovery has been made at Brighton's historic Royal Albion Hotel during ongoing restoration work. Dr Michael Shapland, a heritage architect from Lewes, has uncovered the original wall and fireplace from the bedroom suite where Oscar Wilde stayed in 1894 with newspaper salesman Alfonso Conway.

The find comes as particularly poignant given the hotel's recent trauma. The Grade II listed building, constructed in 1826, suffered severe fire damage in 2023. However, as restoration work progresses, this precious fragment of literary history has survived.

Detective work brings history to light

Dr Shapland, who has worked as an architect for 20 years, described the process of locating the room as "detective work". Using original hotel plans and details from Wilde's own testimony, he pieced together where the suite had been located. According to Wilde's account, he and Conway occupied rooms on the first floor comprising a sitting room and two bedrooms connected by a door.

The area had previously sustained damage in a separate fire in 1998, but is now being carefully restored. The survival of even this single wall represents an extraordinary piece of good fortune.

Standing in history

Dr Shapland spoke movingly about the experience of standing in the preserved space. "To my delight we realised that a wall from Oscar and Alphonse's bedroom suite had been spared," he explained. "One single, solitary wall from this room where Wilde stayed."

He described the sensation as a "time slip", noting the profound feeling of being the only person alive aware of something that occurred 130 years ago. "The veil thins between our world and that time," he reflected.

Historical significance

This bedroom became part of legal history when the prosecution used evidence of Wilde's stay there during his 1895 trial for "gross indecency". Alfonso Conway's witness statement formed part of the case against the celebrated author and poet. Wilde was found guilty on 25 May 1895 and sentenced to two years of hard labour in Reading Gaol.

Dr Shapland paid tribute to both men, noting that Wilde was given the opportunity to flee but chose to stand firm. "He stood up for himself. Stood up for people like him," the architect said, referencing the phrase from Wilde's trial – "A love that dare not speak its name" – which has since become a rallying cry across generations.

Caring for a grand lady

Describing his work on the building, Dr Shapland spoke with affection about the restoration process. "I have spent a lot of time in the company of old buildings. You start to relate to it almost like a person," he explained, describing the Royal Albion as "this great old lady of Brighton seafront who suffered the trauma of a fire and we are trying to put her back together again."

The discovery reinforces the Royal Albion's extraordinary place in Brighton's cultural heritage, with layers of human stories woven into its very walls.

Source: Oscar Wilde's bedroom found at Royal Albion Hotel in Brighton