Cafe Victoria History

Café Victoria stands in the beautiful grounds of Candie House, which was built about 200 years ago by Peter Mourant, a rich merchant who made his money from brandy running and smuggling. The house moved into the stewardship of Priaulx family in 1830 and in 1871 Osmond de Beauvoir Priaulx gave the house, along with his eminent collection of books to the Island of Guernsey.

Within the library is a brass plaque inscribed in Latin, which reads:

“I, a Sarnian, Osmond de Beauvoir Priaulx, have placed my books, the solace of my life, in this library, and given them forever to the people of Guernsey, in the 82nd year of my life. As they have profited me so may they profit you.”

The Priaulx Library is now a centre for family research and local history and it houses impressive collections of newspapers, documents and old photographs. The grounds of the house became the much-loved and well-tended Candie Gardens, arguably St Peter Port’s best floral attraction. Comprising the Upper and Lower Gardens, they are a rare example of a Victorian Public Flower Garden which, due to our mild climate and their sheltered position, are home to a stunning variety of exotic plants and specimen trees from all over the world.

Cafe Victoria is housed within the cast iron bandstand which was originally situated where the Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery now stands.  When it was opened in 1978, it was one of very few purpose-built post-war museums in Britain. The design cleverly incorporates the bandstand into the structure and won a British Museum of the Year Award in 1979.