Discover how Torquay’s Riviera Centre transformed from a historic villa into a vibrant community space
Torquay: The Riviera International Centre sits where the old Rosetor once stood. It’s a cool spot with a rich history. Recently, local history buff Graham Wheatley shared a colorized postcard from the 1950s showing the villa when it was still a hotel.
This peek into the past is just a taste of the building’s story. Graham found that the centre was one of two Victorian villas built by the Harvey brothers back in the early 1860s. The other villa, Ehrenberg House, was home to Baroness Burdett Coutts until she passed away.
Both villas were built on land from the Cary family, who had a big hand in shaping Torquay. After a few years, Rosetor became the home of Bernard Critchley-Salmonson until he died in 1902. Then, it opened as a hotel in 1904.
W S Brockman, who ran the hotel, later took over Ehrenberg House too, turning it into a dual hotel operation. They even renamed Ehrenberg to Erin Hall in 1914. By 1923, both hotels were connected and traded under the Rosetor name, with Erin Hall becoming Roselea.
With stunning views of Torbay, the Rosetor Hotel even housed RAF personnel during World War II. Sadly, both hotels closed in 1974 and were demolished in 1979. But the Riviera International Centre we know today was built on that very site, opening its doors in May 1987.
