Riverview Lodge, 111 Tay Street

The Leng Family at Seymour

Riverview Lodge care home was previously known as Seymour. It was built in 1899 as a private house by John Adam St Quentin Leng, son of Sir John Leng of Kinbrae House. His family lived at Seymour for almost fifty years. Tragically in 1945 one of his sons committed suicide there, and this unfortunate event probably hastened the sale of the house four years later.

Seymour is one of three grand mansions built and occupied by the Leng family in Newport. The other two were Kinbrae House and Waterstone House, the latter more familiar in recent years as the Leng Home.

Seymour Hotel

Seymour advertisement 1975

After the sale of the house, the property then became the Seymour Hotel, which operated from 1949 until 1989, and was hugely popular with both locals and visitors.

Seymour Hotel was painted in large white letters on the shore wall facing the river, and it is still just about visible. This would be easily seen by any passengers heading over to Newport on the Fifie on a day out.

Seymour Hotel cocktail bar 1980

Seymour hotel dining room 1980

After the hotel’s closure in 1989, it then became Seymour Nursing home, later renamed Riverview Lodge.