Dr John Wallace looks forward to the re-opening of the Shelbourne Hotel and recalls some of the actors, writers, politicians and doctors who have graced its presence since it first opened in 1824

Oliver St John Gogarty once asked ‘What would Dublin do without the Shelbourne?’. Gogarty who had consulting rooms in a building that has now become part of the famous hotel posed the questinon at a time when The Shelbourne was in all its pomp and glory.

Dublin may have seemed to many to have become a little soulless since the famous hostelry closed its doors some two years ago for major renovations. Now, however, the wait is over and the hotel is poised to resume its position as spiritual home to politicians, layers, race-goers and the occasional aberrant medical student.

After its two-year renovation, costing 100 million euro, the country’s most celebrated hotel is to reopen under Irish ownership. Over the years and through many upheavals the Shelbourne has assumed major literary, political, and historical significance.

Graham Greene

Since it opened in 1824, the Shelbourne has been host to many famous guests including Orson Wells and James Mason who frequented it while acting with the Gate Theatre in 1930s.

Count John McCormac lived in the hotel for almost two years in the 1940s while Graham Greene used the hotel to write The End of the Affair over a two-year period. Later, when based in Saigon, the writer often spoke nostalgically of his time spent in the hotel.

Because of its location politicians also liked to frequent the Shelbourne. Douglas Hyde continued to regularly use the hotel long after he became president. Sean Lemass tended to treat the hotel as a private club while in 1958 John and Jacqqueline Kennedy enjoyed their stay at the Shelbourne prior to his becoming president.

Earl of Shelbourne

The Shelbourne Hotel was originally established in 1824 by Martin Bourke. The site, on the corner of St Stephen’s Green and Kildare Street, had previously been owned by the Earl of Shelburne. Despite the fact that the location was near to where a leper colony and a gallows had once stood in medieval times, Bourke combined a ramshackle collection of Georgian houses into a prestigious, successful hotel.

By 1866 a more imposing building was needed and a new hotel was built on the old site by Irish architect John McCurdy in just 10 months.

This facade is guarded by four bronze figures: two Egyptian princesses and two Nubian slaves carrying a lamp. This is the appearance that the hotel retains to this day. The interior decoration of the hotel chosen by the architect, can be described as ‘high Victorian’.

Royal College of Surgeons

The hotel has survived many trials and tribulations in its eventful history. In 1916 Countess Markievicz inspected the hotel but occupied the Royal College of Surgeons instead as she felt that the college building was ‘more manageable’ in the circumstances. The Shelbourne was garrisoned by forty British soldiers and came under regular gunfire from the rebels for a almost a week. The hotel always moved with the times and to welcome Independence a huge tricolour flew over the hotel in 1922. Countess Markievicz died in a public ward of a Dublin hospital in 1927.

1950 ushered in a major programme of reconstruction and refurbishment. In 1956 the new ballroom, the last word in sophistication, was added and it opened to the sounds of the Earl Gill band. The ballroom was designed by architect Michael Scott while artist Patrick Scott decorated the interior. Louis le Brocquy designed the floor of the ballroom. The gala ball to mark the opening of the hall was staged in aid of Valerie Goulding’s Central Remedial Clinic.

In 2004 an Irish consortium bought the Shelbourne Hotel from the Bank of Scotland for 140 million euro and the management of the hotel is to be undertaken by the Marriott group. This managing group have spared no expense to revive this famous address nor have they rushed the renovations.

Art collection

The revamped hotel now has 265 bedrooms, two bars and a restaurant. The purpose of the ground floor will be primarily social and architect David Crowley has curated the large art collection to decorate the public spaces on this floor.

The new lobby now looks larger because the lift installed in 1910 has been removed from the six-story building, exposing the great staircase that was part of the original 1824 design. The exposed lift was inserted between the giant coiling stairs and detracted from the appearance of the entrance hall.

The old No 27 Restaurant that was located to the left of the hotel entrance is now a large new cocktail bar. The famous old Saddle Room restaurant has been reinstated in the hotel after a long absence. The original Saddle Room restaurant that played a central role in Dublin’s social and political life, has been rebuilt to the rear of the building.

The Horseshoe Bar

The original Horseshoe Bar, designed by Sam Stephenson, opened in 1957, its equine theme contributing to its enduring popularity.

With Stephenson’s design, the soft interior lighting never altered by day or night and the bar was popular with a cross-section of individuals that included Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando. The diurnal rhythm of this small space was marked only by the regular comings and goings of its habitual customers.

The absence of the Horseshoe Bar has been sorely felt by these customers and many are expected to return to this tiny and timeless bar after a period of involuntary exile.

The appearance of the Horseshoe remains the same under the new dispensation except for the return of the original features as designed by Sam Stephenson.

The linoleum and formica is now gone, replaced by white marble. The original design is back and the walls have now resumed their intended red colour. The original proportions of the room with its fine plasterwork have been retained, giving the space a respectable elegance.

Spiritual home

The Shelbourne Hotel is no longer frostily exclusive as it was when opened by Martin Bourke in 1824 but parts are still intended to retain a restrained atmosphere and dignified hush at certain times. Dublin may be a small town but the Shelbourne Hotel, a spiritual home to many, still adds to its air as a true capital city.

The Shelbourne Hotel is located at 27 Saint Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2.

l Dr John Wallace is a medical doctor with an interest in Irish architecture.

source : www.imt.ie