The Queen Victoria is an award-winning Bed & Breakfast in the heart of beautiful Cape May. Complete with four meticulously restored Victorian buildings, The Queen Victoria is a favorite among locals and visitors alike.
There’s a lot of history here. We hope you enjoy learning a little more about our inn and its past.
The Queen Victoria Building
The Queen Victoria building boasts nine romantic guest rooms, each with a private bath. Its architecture, like a true Victorian, is a blend of several styles, including Italianate Villa (the twin turret windows), Edwardian (the front porch), and a French-inspired mansard roof (very popular in Cape May during the period).
It was built in 1881 by Douglas Gregory, a Cape May native and Delaware River pilot, as a home for his small family. He purchased the land from Charles W. Potts for $3500. Through the years, the building has had several owners, being used as a community service center for the Navy, a medical practice, and a summer boarding house until its rooms were converted to efficiency apartments in 1943. It was later restored and reopened as The Queen Victoria in 1981.
Prince Albert Hall
Prince Albert Hall offers six premium rooms and five luxury suites with private entrances. It boasts a large porch, including a wonderful third floor roof deck, that overlooks our English gardens and our kitchen. Guests staying here are routinely treated to the aroma of cookies, breads, scones, cakes and other treats we bake on site every day.
Like the Queen Victoria building, Prince Albert Hall was built on the site of the former Columbia Hotel, which burned down in the fire of 1878. Its history is a little blurry, but it’s clear that Prince Albert Hall has been owned by many people over the years. It was purportedly constructed in 1882 for Douglas Gregory as an investment property. For many years the building was operated as a rooming house by different owners. In 1989 the building was purchased and restored to become part of The Queen Victoria.
House of Royals
The House of Royals is the oldest and most beautifully decorated of The Queen Victoria buildings. Its ten rooms offer a romantic and elegant setting, all with unique and special charms. Many have ocean views, some with balconies. Each offers a private bathroom with marble floors, hydro-massage shower heads, and heated towel bars.
The House of Royals was designed and built in 1876 by Charles Shaw, the builder of the Chalfonte Hotel and the Emlen Physick Estate. The first floor was originally a general store offering stationery, sundries, and patent medicines. The second floor was a gentleman’s gambling club featuring a large common room and several smaller private gambling parlors. The third floor offered a series of bedrooms, probably for ladies who entertained the gamblers. The House of Royals is the only building at the The Queen Victoria that pre-dates the fire of 1878.
There you have it. As you can see, The Queen Victoria is rich with history. To learn more about our inn, visit our Accommodations page. For even more details about our buildings and their history, visit Our Inn.