The Falmouth Hotel
Hotel in Cornwall, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Falmouth Hotel is a Victorian hotel located on the seafront in Falmouth, Cornwall, overlooking Castle Beach. As the first purpose-built hotel in Falmouth, it opened on 9 May 1865 to provide to tourists due to the new railway station being linked nearby.[1][2] It is located next to the Royal Duchy Hotel. The foundation stone was laid on 6 August 1863, by Robert Tweedy and it cost about £9000.[2] Additions were added in 1880, 1898 and 1972.[3] The hotel has 71 rooms and is set in 5 acres (2.0 ha) of landscaped gardens.[4]
| The Falmouth Hotel | |
|---|---|
The Falmouth Hotel | |
  Location in southern Cornwall | |
| Hotel chain | The Cornwall Hotel Collection |
General information | |
| Location | Castle Beach, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 4NZ |
| Coordinates | 50°8′52″N 5°3′30″W |
| Opening | 9 May 1865 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 5 |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 71 |
| Website | |
| https://falmouthhotel.co.uk/ | |
In May 2024, the hotel was acquired by The Cornwall Hotel Collection, returning the landmark to local ownership alongside sister properties The Greenbank, The Alverton, and The Atlantic.[5] Previously, the hotel had been owned by the Richardson Group since 2005.
Beatrix Potter's stay
During the spring of 1892, a 25-year-old Beatrix Potter stayed at the hotel for twelve days with her parents.[6] During this visit, she wrote her earliest known picture letter to Noel Moore, the son of her former governess, dated 11 March 1892.[7] In the letter, she described the hotel as the "big house close to the sea" and included detailed illustrations of the "puff-puff" steam train she travelled in, Falmouth harbour with its ships and fishermen, and the tame seagulls she observed from the hotel.[8] This style of illustrated storytelling is considered a precursor to her later literary success, as similar "picture letters" eventually led to the publication of The Tale of Peter Rabbit.[9]
