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History of Reid's Palace |
 Former bathing terrace
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When William Reid first stepped ashore in 1836, he was a 14-year-old cabin boy with just £5 to his name. Making a fortune in Madeira's flourishing wine trade, he later let farms to sun-seeking Northern European families and acquired hotels.
Finally he was ready to realize his dream - to build the unique hotel that would bear his name.
Finding a rocky site west of Funchal, he ordered it to be strewn with tons of rich soil, creating a foundation for the lush sub-tropical gardens that surround Reid's today.
To create his dream, William Reid chose architect George Somers Clarke, whose reputation had already been established by Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo. Work began in 1887 but William Reid sadly died before the work was completed. The hotel was opened in November 1891 by his two sons, William and Alfred Reid.
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 Vintage advertisment in former days
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A success from the moment it opened its doors in 1891, Reid's roll-call of celebrities began with the arrival of Empress Elizabeth I of Austria, mourning the suicide of her son Crown Prince Rudolf. Captain Scott called in 1901, en route to the Antarctic, and George Bernard Shaw arrived in 1924, to work, sunbathe and master the tango. He called resident dancing instructor Max Rinder, 'the only man who ever taught me anything'. More royalty graced Reid's when Edward VIII visited on his way to South Africa.
The Blandy Family, founding members of the Madeira Wine Company, acquired the hotel in 1937. Taking into account the views of the guests, who tended to look upon Reid's as a home away from home, they added new wings, two heated sea-water pools and ordered the re-design of The Dining Room - known as the House of Lords because of the number of British peers who dined there.
The hotel was used as a base by John Huston and Gregory Peck during the filming of Moby Dick, as Madeira was at the time one of the few remaining places where whalers still used open boats.
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 Reid's Palace, always know for it's cliff position
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After his defeat by Fidel Castro in 1959, the Cuban dictator General Fulgencio Batista and his entourage took up residence on the third floor of the hotel.
While working on his war memoirs, and painting in the nearby village of Câmara de Lobos, Winston Churchill occupied rooms near the entrance hall. In honor of the great British leader, these rooms are now known as the Churchill Suite, and they have become one of the hotel’s two, Presidential Suites.
At the time Reid's opened, arriving at Funchal was an exciting experience. An armada of colourful small boats packed with vendors and their wares would set out and greet the liners, making the visitor feel he had sailed into Venice during the carnival.
A flying boat service between Southampton, England and Funchal was introduced after the Second World War and eventually an airport opened on the neighbouring island of Porto Santo - although visitors were still faced with an uncomfortable journey in flat-bottomed boats.
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 George Bernard Shaw with his dance instructor
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Today Madeira is just a short flight away from most major European cities, yet the feel of Reid's has barely changed.
You could almost expect to spot Winston Churchill taking afternoon tea on the terrace ... to find the Empress of Austria staring out to sea from her verandah ... or to stumble across George Bernard Shaw mastering the intricacies of the tango on the lawn. |
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