The Clarendon Royal Hotel, c. 1910. The view leads us along the narrow East Street and the Clarendon Shades in the distance.

The Clarendon was originally the ordnance storekeeper's house and was opened as an hotel in about 1845.

The name arises from the house being built for James II (then Duke of York and High Admiral), who married Anne, daughter of the Earl of Clarendon. Used by the upper classes, it had a guest in 1863, the Prince of Wales, (later King Edward VII).

Today, the Clarendon Hotel looks very similar to the picture above in terms of external alterations.

The main and most obvious difference is of course the colour. This makes it a much nicer looking building, in my view.

On the opposite side of the road, out of view in this picture, are the hotel's own riverside gardens.