Prince Albert lays the foundation stone for The Royal Victoria Yacht Clubhouse in Ryde, Isle of Wight

Like anyone moving to a new area, after purchasing Osborne House on the Isle of Wight in 1845 Queen Victoria found herself wanting to get involved with local hobbies. In 1833 Victoria, who at that time was known as Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent, had visited the island with her widowed mother, the Duchess of Kent. During her stay at Norris Castle in East Cowes, the future monarch attended the annual Cowes Regatta, affectionately known as Cowes Week. Judging by her journals it appears that the fourteen-year-old princess was encapsulated by the event, which she attended practically every day. As I mention in my past article about Cowes week, it is possible that it was this early experience that helped encouraged Victoria to buy a family home on the island. We do know that when she moved here, Victoria attempted to join the famous Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes but faced one problem… she was female. Common for the time period, the Royal Yacht Squadron had a strict “men only” policy, which prevented women from joining, even if they were the Queen of England. Out of protest, Queen Victoria set about creating her own rival yacht club, which was established on her birthday (24^th May) in 1845.

 

It’s no surprise to say that Victoria and Albert were patrons of the yacht club that they themselves had helped to create but it is their involvement that helped the new club to become an instant hit, with around 250 members of noble status joining within the first year. Like any club, The Royal Victoria Yacht Club – creatively named, I know! – needed a clubhouse. It was decided that the perfect place for the new sailing club would be on land to the east of Ryde’s iconic pier, which was owned by the Brigstocke family and had a 999-year lease for a new building. Once everything was settled, construction began on 2^nd March 1846, with Prince Albert laying the foundation stone.

While there had been some seasonal showers overnight, the 2^nd March proved to be a fine spring day. Following his usual daily routine and habits, Albert had spent his morning at Osborne inspecting plants for the new gardens before taking an early lunch with his wife. At 1pm the royal yacht, “Fairy”, left Portsmouth and headed to Osborne, where it was to collect the Prince and his entourage. As the Prince made his way around the island’s coastline, Ryde became ‘thronged with visitors from all parts of the island’ (1).

 

There is no doubt over the enthusiasm that the local residents had towards the royal couple’s involvement with the island. The creation of a new yacht club was something that would never affect the lives of the typical working man, and yet they went all out to make their new neighbour feel welcome on one of his first days at work. According to the Hampshire Telegraph, ‘extensive preparations were made to receive his Royal Highness… flags of all colours and denominations and evergreens, covered the fronts of almost all the houses in Ryde; Union Street being most conspicuous for the splendour of its decorations. Triumphal arches were also thrown across the thoroughfares, & ensigns, laurels, and evergreens, adorned the whole extent of Ryde Pier, not only in the line of procession leading to the site of the new building, but at every corner of the streets’ (2).

 

By the time the “Fairy” arrived at the pier, members of Ryde’s high society and naval officers were waiting to greet the Prince as he departed the vessel.  Once the Prince had been officially received, a military band began playing ‘God Save the Queen’ and Royal Salutes were fired from the shore. Then, the procession began making its way down the pier to the ‘place of ceremony’ (3). The procession was led by The Royal Marine Band, followed by ‘the worshipful body of masons, the, marshal of the ceremonies, the town commissioners four abrest, of the quarantine service, the pier directors, James P. Lind, Esq, Capt. R. T. Brigstocke, R.N. Capt. Campbell Lock, R.N. Thos, F. Cole, Esq., Commander Wilcox, bearing The standard of his Royal Highness Prince Albert, the Prince, the Commodore of the club, Thomas W. Fleming, Esq, on his right, and the Vice Commodore, A.J. Hambrough, Esq., on his left. Then followed the suite of his Royal Highness’ (4).

 

Upon reaching the foot of the pier, the procession came to a halt and Ryde resident, Dr James Lind gave an address:

 

“To Field Marshal his Royal Highness Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emanuel, Duke of Saxony, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha… We are inhabitants and visitors of the town of Ryde and its vicinity, beg leave to approach your Royal Highness with feelings of unfeigned respect for your Royal Highness’s exalted station and character. Little more than six months have elapsed since we had the honour of addressing her most gracious Majesty the Queen on the auspicious event of her Majesty’s selecting the Isle of Wight as an occasional residence. We hail that event as one of no ordinary interest and importance; we welcomed it as the harbinger of a still brighter day of prosperity about to dawn on this favoured island; nor have we been disappointed in such anticipation: and amongst other sources of congratulation we may reckon the high privilege of being thus permitted to address your Royal Highness, not through any official-channel of communication, but personally and in your immediate presence. We believe, too, that the beneficial results arising from works such as your Royal Highness is pleased to participate in today will not stop as the one that institutions such as the one that is now to be founded in the town of Ryde are, if rightly carried out, of great national importance, as adding to other means of maritime defence. We have welcomed your Royal Highness to the Isle of Wight. We now welcome you at our very doom, to our own town of Ryde. Within its precincts your Royal Highness is about to perform an act of condescending kindness, nor do we consider it to be one of unmeaning ceremony. But on this point it is not our province to speak, and in conclusion, we beg to tender to your Royal Highness our sincere acknowledgements for your gracious presence among us this day, and with every expression of our devotedness and loyalty to her Majesty the Queen, and with our heartfelt prayers for a long and happy reign” (6)

 

After Albert responded to the speech it was time for the procession to continue to the site of the new building, which was filled with excitable crowds. As the procession parted, the Commodore and Vice Commodore escorted the Prince to the place of the foundation stone. It was here that architect William Huntley read out another address stating that the stone “was laid by his Royal Highness Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg, &c., assisted by the Right Hon. Charles Anderson Pelham, Earl of Yarborough, &c. who was present by proxy, Provincial Grand Master of the Free and Accepted Masons of the United Lodges of the Isle of Wight, assembled on the 2^nd day of March, A.D. 1846, in the 9^th year of the reign of her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, being the foundation stone of a club house, to be erected for the use of the Members of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club… united for the purpose of promoting and encouraging all that relates to nautical science.” (7)

 

Then, as crowds erupted with cheers, Prince Albert used a silver trowel to spread the mortar before the foundation stone lowered and the band resumed playing a combination of ‘God Save the Queen’ and ‘Rule Britannia’. To conclude the ceremony, the Commodore of the club read out a final address, thanking the Prince and the Queen for their patronage and for encouraging ‘the skill and science of the shipwright, to promote all trades in connection with naval architecture and the employment and welfare of the mariners of Ryde, the island, and the adjacent ports’ (8).

Albert responded with gratitude towards the thanks he had just received and wished the new sailing club prosperity in its future. As he finished the band played once more and the endless crowds cheered with pride as the procession made its way back to the Pier Hotel. It was here that Albert inspected plans for the new building before re-embarking on the ‘Fairy’ and returning to his family at Osborne.

With the main event over, members and visitors to the new club gathered at the Royal Kent Hotel, where a dinner was held. The celebrations didn’t stop there as that evening the pier was lit up with red and blue lights as crowds remained gathered to watch the two hour firework display from the boats in the Solent.

With the Queen’s support, the new sailing club was undoubtedly a hit and just like the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, the club began hosting annual regatta, which took place the week after Cowes week. Queen Victoria attended these races several times throughout her reign, beginning on 4^th August 1845 when she describes ‘such a pretty sight, the pier, crowded with people, & numbers of ships sailing about, the afternoon, so beautiful& bright’ (9). She goes on to add that she gave £5 rewards to the winners of the races, suggesting that she had an active role in the running of the club during its early days.

 

Despite its positive start, as the club approached its centenary it was also reaching its most difficult times. The first and second world wars had taken the lives of thousands of men from all classes and the sailing club was understandably hit by such losses. On top of this the ageing clubhouse was in need of expensive restoration. As a result the lease was sold to the Corporation of Ryde and in the 1950s, the Royal Victoria Yacht Club joined forces with two other local sailing clubs and moved to a new clubhouse by Wooton Creek in Fishbourne, where it continues to thrive today. As for the old clubhouse, now known as the Prince Consort Building, it has become a private residence with plans announced in 2025 to create two new apartments within its historic walls.

© Queen.Victoria.Roses 2026

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