An archaeologist who rediscovered Oscar Wilde's suite at a seafront hotel said standing in the room was like a "time slip".
Wilde visited the Royal Albion Hotel, Brighton, in 1894 with newspaper salesman, Alfonso Conway. This was later used as evidence against Wilde in his infamous trial for homosexuality in 1895.
Dr Michael Shapland, 43, from Lewes, of UCL Archaeology South East, has been working as a heritage advisor with Britannia Hotels, after the Royal Albion was severely damaged in a fire in 2023.
Work has started to restore parts of the hotel.
Dr Shapland said: "To my delight we realised that a wall from Oscar and Alphonse's bedroom suite had been spared and we found the original blocked fire place.
"One single, solitary wall from this room where Wilde stayed."
He referred to the process of finding the room as "detective work", using plans of the hotel and a description which was included in Wilde's testimony.
The author and poet said that he and Conway took a suite of rooms on the first floor, that included a sitting room and two bedrooms that were connected through a door.
This area of the hotel was badly damaged during a separate fire in 1998 but is being revisited as part of ongoing refurbishment from the 2023 blaze.
Dr Shapland has worked as an archaeologist for 20 years and told the Argus the effect that discoveries like this have.
Standing alone in Wilde's former room, he thought: "You are the only person alive who knows about this thing that happened 130 years ago.
"The veil thins between our world and that time. Over 100 years later you get the sense of a time slip."
After Wilde's arrest in 1895 the prosecution tracked down Conway as well as other men that Wilde allegedly had relationships with. Conway's witness statement formed part of the prosecution's case against Wilde.
He was found guilty of 'gross indecency' on May 25, 1895 and sentenced to two years of hard labour in Reading Gaol.
Dr Shapland said:" He was given the chance to flee, and he didn't. He stood up for himself. Stood up for people like him."
He referenced a phrase used in Wilde's trial, "A love that dare not speak its name", saying it has become a "rally cry" for centuries afterwards.
"All that happened because of this place," he said.
Speaking about the Royal Albion, Dr Shapland said: "I have spent a lot of time in the company of old buildings. You start to relate to it almost like a person.
"Like (the Albion) this great old lady of Brighton seafront who suffered the trauma of a fire and we are trying to put her back together again.
"It's really the building's story to tell, not mine. Its something of an honour."
The Grade II listed building was built in 1826.
Paul Streets, director of Britannia Hotels Group, said: “The Royal Albion Hotel holds an extraordinary place in Brighton’s history, and discoveries such as this highlight the cultural and human stories embedded within the building.
"As our restoration plans progress, we are committed to preserving the hotel’s heritage while creating a sensitively designed future for this iconic seafront site. Working alongside respected heritage specialists such as UCL Archaeology South-East has enabled us to uncover and better understand important moments from the hotel’s past, and we look forward to the next chapter of the Royal Albion Hotel.”
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