In the late 1850s Charles Dickens began to contemplate a second visit to America, tempted by the money he believed he could make by extending his reading tour - hugely successful
in Britain - to the New World. The outbreak of the Civil War in America in 1861 put those plans on hold. After the war, renewed offers from America of huge profits if he would read there convinced
him to go, despite questions of poor health and objections from his friend and biographer, John Forster.
Forster lived at Wilton just across the river from Ross, in what is now the Castle Lodge Hotel. Dickens came to Ross in September 1867 and stayed at the Royal with the purpose of meeting with Forster
to discuss and arrange the trip. Forster was very much against the adventure because Dickens had been involved in a train crash in Staplehurst in Kent a couple of years before and had never fully
recovered his former health and strength.
Dickens went ahead anyway but found the undertaking a great strain. He arrived in Boston on November 19, 1867. Though a few articles appeared in the press concerning comments he made following his
first American visit, more than a quarter of a century before, these were quickly forgotten and Dickens was again adored by the American public. His health, however, was in rapid decline and he
suffered greatly during this trip. He died three years later at the age of 58.
Situated near the town centre, and built high above the horseshoe bend of the River Wye on a sandstone cliff, the Royal enjoys some of the best views of the surrounding countryside. The Hotel had
been built just 30 years before Dickens'os visit specifically to cater for the burgeoning Victorian tourist market. They are proud of their association with the author and promote the connection with
a plaque on the building and various framed tributes and prints of Dickensian characters inside.
The Royal has undergone recent extensive refurbishment but still retains the elegance of a real grand old hotel. There is a small bar with a bistro and terrace leading off (all with spectacular
views) where they serve a bar/bistro selection of lighter meals. And the grand restaurant serves a newly launched a la carte menu.
Copyright T.W. Townsend - the opinions expressed herein are those of the author and any observations were correct at the time of the
review.