In the first half of the century there was very little here, in the Millbay area, John Smeaton had cleared a channel and erected a little wooden jetty in the bay’s south west corner in 1756, to set up base for the workings of the Eddystone Lighthouse.

Neighbouring on to The Albion Hotels eastern side was the Royal Eye Infirmary.  Taking over what was the beautiful Georgian Buckland House in 1844.

Nightclubs, jazz clubs and cocktail bars started to flourish in Plymouth from the early 20’s. The hedonistic lifestyle portrayed in books and films such as ‘The Great Gatsby’ was perhaps for some, an escape from reality.

The heyday of our Grand Old Lady appeared to be over, come the 70’s; with the caravanning and camping scene growing in population, although the city was still a popular holiday destination, the competition of hotels was fierce and so times were harder than ever before.

Steve Hajiyianni 1928-1996 Once again, the Continental Hotel changed hands in the 70’s, this time to a hotel group that already owned a hotel in Plymouth; the Duke Of Cornwall Hotel. The Hajiyianni family had been involved in the hospitality industry in Plymouth for two decades before acquiring the Continental Hotel in 1984.