Icebreaker event

The QRA 2026 Icebreaker event will take place in the beautiful Grade II Listed Regency Suite of The Old Ship Hotel on Brighton seafront from 18:00-20:30 on Monday 5th January. We hope you can join us for a glass or two, and hot/cold canapés. You can expect a glass of prosecco/soft drink on arrival, up to 3x additional drinks (beer/wine/soft drink), and a selection of hot and cold savoury canapés and sweet mini cakes. Vegetarian and vegan options available. There is a pay bar at the hotel should you require additional drinks. The address for The Old Ship Hotel is Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 1NR (Tel: 020 3027 6614).

And for those of you who enjoy a bit of history... 

Compiled by Nicholas Bagshaw (Duty Manager)

The Old Ship Hotel is Brighton’s oldest hotel, built on land owned by the Priory of Bartholomew, established in 1120, (now stands Brighton Town Hall), which was damaged by French raiders in June 1514. The priory disappeared completely as a result of the Chantries Act 1547 and the site was then used as a marketplace in the 17th century. The Old Ship probably derived its name from being partly constructed from ship's timbers (that can still be seen in the original cellars). For many years, the entrance to the stable included a ship's stern-piece. It serviced the marketplace on the nearby cliff top, while the street in which it is situated took its name from the inn, Ship Street. Of course, in the early days The Old Ship was nothing like the size of the present-day premises - it was just a simple structure called 'The Shippe Tavern' in Brighthelmstone. The Old Ship throughout its long history has always played host to a vast array of events and functions. Events such as:  balls, dinners, luncheons, weddings, meetings and so on. The Old Ship has entertained/hosted (and continues to) a great many well-known figures of society from royalty, literature, stage, instrumental, TV, film, radio and sports. 

1500s

1559 – The first record of an inn in Brighthelmstone, The Shippe, a cottage in the Hampshares owned by Richard and John Gilham.

1600s

1650 – The Shippe Tavern was renamed The Old Ship Inn when the New Ship (now Hotel du Vin) was built opposite in Ship Street.

1651 – Charles II escaped from England to France (Fecamp, Normandy) in a coal brig, 'The Surprise', owned by a local man, Nicholas Tettersell. A painting of Charles II (about 1650) hangs behind the reception desk at The Old Ship Hotel.

1670 – George Hackett owned The Old Ship. 

1671 – Owners John Arnold and his wife Joanna sold The Old Ship to Nicholas Tettersell who bought the freehold with the bounty he received from his part in the Royal Escape (Nicholas Tettersell is buried in St Nicholas Church Yard, Brighton). 

1700s

1705 – A great storm swept away 113 shops and cottages at the bottom of the cliff, leaving The Old Ship Inn in the prominent position it enjoys today.

1719 – The contents of The Old Ship Inn were valued at £200.00 on the death of its owner, Richard Rodgers. 

1723 – New sea defences were created and in due course the Kings Road was built on top of a mighty sea wall. 

1733 – William Hicks purchased The Old Ship. Cock fighting was one of the entertainments he provided. It was recorded that a cock-fight took place in 1746 and it was not until 1849 that the government made it illegal.

1745 – During the summer, a coach ‘The Flying Machine’, left The Old Ship daily at 5.30am, reaching London that same evening. A scale model of one of the coaches can be seen in the lobby area of the hotel today.

1750s – Construction of the The 'Assembly Rooms' began. 

1767 – The Assembly Rooms, now known as the Paganini Ballroom and the Regency Suite, were completed. The Assembly Rooms were built by Robert Golden, with the Adam style inspired by Robert Adam. The Assembly Rooms contained a ballroom, as well as card and tea rooms – without doubt the most magnificent public rooms in the town, they were the setting for many a glittering occasions such as the 'Race Ball' and the 'Prince Regent's Ball' in 1819, as well as being used for mundane but essential matters. Within the now named 'Regency Suite' can be found (apart from the stunning plaster work) original stained glass, depicting one of the first Old Ship logo's 'OS'.

1777 – The Assembly Rooms (up until 1777) hosted the town's post office and were the original site of the Brighton corn market. In the now named 'Tudor Room' (that was designed as the cloak room for the Assembly Rooms) can be seen (above the fireplace) ornamental raised plaster mouldings depicting an old sailing ship.

1780s – The hotel was visited by Frances Burney (Satirical Novelist, Diarist) and Samuel Johnson (Writer). 

1784 – Mail coaches were introduced as Brighton became the centre of fashionable society. The Old Ship ran a regular coach service to London and other major cities and was the point of arrival and departure for 100 years. The two rooms immediately to the left of the main entrance (now known as the 'Fecamp Lounge') was the ticket office and waiting/luggage rooms for the horse-drawn coaches. Modern day coaches still use the same pull-in/drop-off point outside of the hotel's main entrance.

1787 – George, Prince of Wales, was interested in the development of the Assembly Rooms.  With his encouragement (and his money) a gracious retiring room for the royal personage was added overlooking Ship Street. This is now known as the 'Gresham Suite', where ornamental raised plaster mouldings can be seen depicting the Prince of Wales' feathers.

1793 – Hotel guests dined on devilled kidneys and Madeira Wine on the seafront opposite the hotel as mock sea battles were fought in preparation for a possible invasion by Napoleon's troops.

1794 – The building was expanded. 

1795 – A court martial was held at The Old Ship. The result of the court martial was that Edward Cooke and Henry Parish of the Oxford Militaria were found guilty of mutiny and shot at Goldstone Bottom.

1797 – The Prince of Wales (later George IV) officially visited the Assembly Rooms. 

1800s

1802 – On the death of its owner, John and Leah Hicks, The Old Ship (now with 70 beds) was sold at auction to William Attree.

1808 – In the summer of 1808, Lord Byron (poet, who was living on the seafront in Brighton at 1 Marine Parade) visited The Old Ship for functions in the Assembly Rooms.

1810 – First meeting of the Town Commissioners was held at The Old Ship.

1814 – The Assembly Rooms hosted card evenings on Tuesday's and Saturday's, although the ballroom was later closed in 1814.

1819 – The ‘Race Ball’ and the ‘Prince Regent’s Ball’ were held at The Old Ship. 

1820 – As Brighton celebrated the coronation of George IV (formerly the Prince Regent) with beer, bonfires and fireworks, smugglers spirited away 30 kegs of Dutch Gin from the stable yard of The Old Ship.

1821 – The magistrates court was moved to The Old Ship. 

1822 – A meeting was held at The Old Ship regarding the building of the Chain Pier. 

1825 – Captain Brown, designer of the Chain Pier, presented with a piece of plate at dinner at The Old Ship. 

1830-1836 – King William IV sent daily to The Old Ship for a list of arrivals on the London Coach so that he could select who he wished to invite for dinner at The Royal Pavilion.

1831 – Nicolo Paganini gave a concert in December from the Balcony in the Ballroom, the latter of which was later renamed after the celebrated violinist. Two hundred and sixty people paid 10 shillings each (equivalent to 50p today) to watch him play his own compositions, dressed in black with bushy hair.

1835 – Ship Street corner block was added. Gideon Mantell (Obstetrician, Geologist) gave a lecture on geology and organic remains at The Old Ship.

1840 - The hotel entrance was moved from Ship Street to where it now stands.

1841 – Charles Dickens (Novelist) stayed at The Old Ship and gave public readings of his work in the Ballroom. The same year he published ‘Barnaby Rudge' and 'The Old Curiosity Shop'.  On 21st September 1841, a banquet was held at The Old Ship to celebrate the opening of the London to Brighton railway, a venture which was originally planned at the hotel.  200 guests dined on turtle soup, turbot, venison, game and joints of meat followed by various pastries and accompanied by Champagne, Claret and Moselle wine. In 1841 The Old Ship was providing entertainment of a different sort. A lady was devoting some hours daily to the exhibition of a talking canary, apparently 'the little songster warbles, in a perfectly distinct manner, a great number of loyal phrases, such as "Long Life to Queen and Prince Albert"'.

1846 –  William Makepeace Thackeray (Novelist & Illustrator) stayed at The Old Ship. During his stay he was hard at work on 'Vanity Fair' published in parts during 1847 and 1848.  In this book Amelia Sedley & George Osborne spent their honeymoon at Brighton 'having engaged apartments at The Ship Inn'.

1852 – The Bacon family took over the hotel; it remained in the family for 120 years.

1874 – Hova Ecclesia Lodge - Consecrated and met here since 8th April 1874 (Provincial Grand Lodge of Sussex). A wall plaque is located opposite the telephone booths in the hotels main entrance.

1885 – The Assembly Rooms were turned into auction rooms. 

1887 – A portrait of Doctor Russell (physician) was presented to the town of Brighton by The Old Ship owners. 

1888 – The celebrated coachman James Selby took the coach ‘The Old Times’ from Piccadilly to Brighton and back in 7 hours and 50 minutes, the fastest time ever recorded.

1891 – Electric lights were installed at The Old Ship Hotel. 

1895 – The original front of the hotel in Ship Street was demolished and the first modernization of the hotel took place.

1900s

1906 – The Automobile Club headquarters were set up at The Old Ship. 

1914 – During the first world war, the military authorities commandeered the magnificent coach horses, including the ones from 'The Old Times'.

1920 – Lifts were installed (the same lifts that are still in use to this day). 

1920s/30s – Telephone booths were installed in the lobby (the three-phone booths are still located in the lobby, now used for storage).

1927/28 – The garage and stable area were rebuilt. Although the once stables and now garage, has been reconfigured many times over the years, you can still see evidence of the horse stables.

1930 – The Veteran Car Club was founded at The Old Ship. Ever since, on the first Sunday in November each year, veteran cars make their annual journey from London to Brighton.

1930s – The Old Ship began accepting homosexual men in one wing of the hotel (a bold move for the times).

1939/1945 – The Old Ship remained open for business whilst other large hotels were requisitioned. Many officers from 'HMS Vernon' stayed at the Hotel.

1947 – Winston Churchill regularly stayed at The Old Ship.  During the war he came down to inspect the defences, with no one knowing of his visits. Churchill brought a chair from his home and left it here for future stays (the chair is located opposite one of the lifts on the ground floor). Following the war, he visited the town in October 1947 for the Conservative Party Conference, which was then held at the Dome. The day before he addressed the Party at the Dome, he was at the Royal Pavilion, where he received the 'Freedom of the Borough of Brighton'. He visited the town for the last time in 1952 for a visit to Brighton Races.

1952 – The Assembly Rooms became a Grade II listed building. 

1963/1964 – The East Wing was built at the corner of Black Lion Street, providing an additional 55 bedrooms and a updated 2-storey garage.

1973 – The first 'Brighton Gay Pride March' was organised by the Sussex Gay Liberation Front in July 1973. We share our pride in those trailblazers as we celebrate Brighton & Hove Pride today. The march started in Hove and the day ended at The Old Ship Hotel.

1977 – The 1st Royal Escape Race took place in memory of Charles II’s escape from England in 1651. Each year in May, some 100 yachts from the Sussex Yacht Club retrace his route across the channel to Fecamp (Normandy, France), with the race starting opposite the hotel.

1982 – Sir John Betjeman (poet, writer) wrote in June 1982 'I often stayed at The Old Ship with my father’. 

1984 – A reporter from the Washington Post staying at the hotel slept through the bombing of the Grand Hotel during the Conservative Party Conference.

1988 – Centenary Run – George Missman drove 'The Old Times' coach from London to Brighton, a hundred years after its first journey to The Old Ship.

1995 – The wine cellars were reinstated in full and made available for private dining and receptions. A unique venue in Brighton. A series of smugglers tunnels leading from the beach into the town and as far north as the Royal Pavilion were discovered in the basement.

2000s

2009 – The hotel celebrated its 450th anniversary. 

2017 – Saw the 250th celebrations of the ballroom where 100 guests feasted on a 4-course banquet themed on the taste eras of the 20th Century. The guest list included relations of Captain Tettersell.

2020-2021 – COVID-19 Pandemic, The Old Ship remained operational and used its rooms to temporarily help the homeless and needy.

2023-2024 – Plans were approved by Brighton City Council and various historical trusts for The Old Ship Hotel to undergo a major renovation (full details & dates to be confirmed).

2026 – The Quaternary Research Association will hold it's 62nd Annual Discussion Meeting icebreaker event in The Regency Suite, with the event likely including some serious discussion on Quaternary science over a glass or two.