# Royal York Hotel, Ryde IOW - Art Deco on a stick!



## Reaperman (Dec 15, 2013)

*Royal York Hotel, Ryde IOW *

The Royal york hotel was built in 1938 and replaced an earlier Victorian hotel of the same name. The advent of the railway and the pier with regular passenger ferries had made Ryde the gateway to the island and a popular destination for holidaymakers.

I can imagine that when it opened the Royal York's smart art deco styling and modern facilities must have been the height of fashion. The hotel boasted a modern spiral staircase, lit by a glass skylight and tall curved windows. There was a ballroom, with decorative round columns and a segmented glass skylight above the stage. There was also a terraced lounge bar/restaurant, games rooms and 3 floors of bedrooms, the smartest of which were en suite, with balconies looking out onto the Solent.

By the 1970's the hotels fortunes were on the turn. People were starting to travel abroad more for their holidays and the Royal York probably seemed a bit out of date. A few attempts were made to modernise and refit. This resulted in lots of changes to the fixtures and fittings, which must have extended the appeal of the hotel to contemporary customers while compromising on its period styling… Avocado bathroom suites anyone?

In spite of the modernisation work the hotel was still had enough art deco features to justify it being listed in 1998, It also forms part of the Ryde conservation Area. The listing information is interesting as it suggests the staircase has been messed about with and is now missing a metal balustrade supported by pairs of female figurines to 1st flight.

By the early 2000's I think the hotel was only open during the summer season before finally it closed in around 2006.























































































































































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Full Set of photos on the Website: http://abandoned-britain.com/PP/royalyorkhotel/1.htm


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## krela (Dec 15, 2013)

Wow that's my kind of place, I'd love to have a nose round this one. Cheers.


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## cunningplan (Dec 15, 2013)

What a nice place, love that style. Great photos and report thanks for posting


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## mookster (Dec 15, 2013)

That's a damn nice staircase there...need to get me to the IOW!


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## UE-OMJ (Dec 15, 2013)

Very interesting


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## urbanisle (Dec 15, 2013)

This has been on my list for some time, but always got put off by passing police and neighbors.


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## UrbanX (Dec 15, 2013)

Wow what a time capsule, a perfect product of it's time! 
Lovely photos too, cheers for sharing!


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## GPSJim (Dec 15, 2013)

Wow, really great pictures and now it makes me want to visit IOW. Just my type of explore. Thanks!


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## MD (Dec 15, 2013)

thats great fella 
can't beat a bit of Art Deco


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## flyboys90 (Dec 15, 2013)

Superb Art Deco features.


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## tumble112 (Dec 15, 2013)

Thank you for this super report, I love art deco buildings.


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## Stealthstar79 (Dec 16, 2013)

Great pics, looks a really interesting location!
Thanks. .


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## Ace5150 (Dec 16, 2013)

Many thanks, I LOVE art deco, and especially the IoW........far too many deserted hotels there now.


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## MrGruffy (Dec 16, 2013)

krela said:


> Wow that's my kind of place, I'd love to have a nose round this one. Cheers.



Very Nice Pics not avacado though,not dark enough ,sage green.


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## bilbo (Dec 16, 2013)

Been thinking about trying this building for a while but, like Urbanisle, been put off by neighbours and passing traffic. 
It's a beautiful building and it's so sad to see it like this, I remember having my college graduation party there in the late 90's. Me and all my friends had our photo taken on the roof terrace


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## perjury saint (Dec 16, 2013)

*Blimey!! That's a bit good that is!! Stair upshot is ACE!!! *


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## Reaperman (Dec 17, 2013)

Without giving too much away there's nothing to stop a fairly competent explorer taking a look here, If your local it would be a real shame to miss out.


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## LittleOz (Dec 17, 2013)

Very nice, thanks for sharing this.


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## stouffer (Jan 18, 2014)

http://onthewight.com/2014/01/09/royal-york-hotel-ryde-big-plans-afoot/


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## nelly (Jan 19, 2014)

That's brilliant, love the report and the architecture, great report


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