[Metropole Hotel, MacCurtain Street, Cork]

[graphic]
Bibliographic Details
Main Creator: French, Robert, 1841-1917 photographer
Contributors: Lawrence, William, 1840-1932
In collection: The Lawrence Photograph Collection
Format: Photo
Published / Created: [between ca. 1900-1910].
Subjects:
Notes:Additional information about this photograph is available on the National Library of Ireland's Flickr Commons photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/28161524017/

Robert French was the chief photographer responsible for photographing three quarters of the Lawrence Collection. For more information, see the Dictionary of Irish Biography: http://dib.cambridge.org/viewReadPage.do?articleId=a3369

Physical description: 1 photographic negative glass 21.5 x 16.5 cm.

Geographic Coverage: Cork City, County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland.

Caption on glassplate reads: 6243. W. L.

more
This Wednesday we take a trip south to the City of Cork. Have you ever wondered what the word Metropole actually means? We have seen hotels in Dublin and now Cork using it. Well wonder no more I have found that "The Metropole" is the British metropolitan center of the British Empire; i.e., the United Kingdom itself. It is sometimes used even more specifically to refer to London as the metropole of the British Empire. Wikipedia
Our friend guliolopez (who always seems to miss the Cork related photos) will know the answer to the following question, are the Musgrave Brothers we see here the same Musgraves which established Centra and Supervalu the biggest retail operators in Ireland?
Photographer: Robert French
Date: Catalogue range c.1880-1900. Likely c.1900 (hotel opened c.1897, extended c.1910)
NLI Ref: L_ROY_06243
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie

Comments

B-59
Street View 2017 The Hotel opened in 1897 (www.themetropolehotel.ie/our-story.html) and was was largely rebuilt and extended during 1910-11 after a large fire (archiseek.com/2012/1900-hotel-metropole-cork/). This photo was thus taken between 1897 and 1910.
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
Niall McAuley
Miss Correll will shortly open in these Premises, so Guys will tell us more Yes, 1903 Guys says Miss Correll was here in 1903 so we are before that date
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
domenico milella
Congratulation for your beautiful Album.
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
Niall McAuley
I do not see Miss Correll in the 1901 or 1911 census
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
mcginley2012
Some information on the Musgrave family. www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/who-are-the-musg...
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/72163146@N08] An interesting read, so the Musgraves owned the Hotel!
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
Electric tramway (see tracks and wires and poles) started in 1898 - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_Electric_Tramways_and_Lighting... "Services started on 22 December 1898 when the company had 17 cars in operation. Over the Christmas period, weekend traffic was heavy and there were some minor accidents and injuries, including some passengers who, having been celebrating Christmas, fell from the tramcars. ..."
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland] There was an Hotel Metropole (1891) in Sydney NSW - www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofnsw/9023632860/
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
Flickr is sometimes amazing! The 1911 extensions were extensive. In 2007 via [https://www.flickr.com/photos/pascoedj/] [https://www.flickr.com/photos/pascoedj/503057204/]
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
We had the reverse view a few years ago, with lots of useful comments but no firm date (c. 1900). I am wondering whether those huge pale telephone poles are around in this photo; I can only see five wires at top right. This might imply this is pre huge pale poles - [https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/8280822924/]
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
abandoned railways
Are SM and TM, on the date blocks, the initials of the Musgrave bros. Update, yes it is, Thomas and Stuart Musgrave.
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/abandonedrailsireland] well done.
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/beachcomberaustralia] and I see one in Kilkenny too,
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
The landmark Metropole Hotel in Cork, which was, until the mid 1950s, known as Ireland’s finest “dry hotel”, is now the spiritual home of the Cork Jazz Festival and is considering further expansion. Examiner The Met was opened in 1897 and was owned by the Musgraves. The property on MacCurtain Street was designed by architect Arthur Hill and built by John Delaney & Co Builders to the highest standards and opulence of the day, with most of its early guests being travelling salesmen and businessmen. The hotel occupied the upper floors of the building with the ground floor and basement let out for retail, with two shops on either side of the main entrance - including the famous Turkish Delight sweet shop, ‘Hadji Bey’, run by Harutan Batmazian who had arrived in Cork from Armenia in 1903 and who had his own sweet stall at the Great Exhibition in Cork. Lawson’s Outfitters occupied another unit and the name can still be seen over the shop door today. Edward VII is reputed to have had tea on the roof of the Metropole when he visited Cork in 1903 for the city’s Great Exhibition, and other famous guests included Gregory Peck, James Mason, Frank O’Connor, John Steinbeck, John Huston and Walt Disney. In 1977 the Metropole was sold to a consortium of local businessmen and a leisure centre was added. In 1999 it was sold on to Ryan Hotels and it underwent a €9m refurbishment. The hotel has been under new ownership since 2015 — a London-based family who also own the Cork International and Cork Airport Hotels — and following the purchase of an adjoining site, another upgrade and extension is being considered.
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
guliolopez
Hi [https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland] & all. Sorry. Am late to the party. As usual. And as predicted. And even despite the nice prompt from Morning Mary :) Seems like most of the mysteries have already been solved. So I don't have much left to add. Except to say: • Totally agree with the consensus on date. Probably ~1900. Give or take a year or so. • Yes. That's "those" Musgraves (now largest grocery outfit in the country under the Supervalu brand) • We used to get our school uniforms in Lawson's. A nice man was Mr. Lawson. • I could write an essay on the Everyman. But won't. Save to say that the canopy does still stand. But is now 30 feet "out of shot" to the right. Thanks for the Cork post. And the shoutout! :)
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
Hadji Bey's ("A Good Name Is Worth Millions") had an interesting history. Includes a photo of the shop with "Estd. 1902" above. Are we before 1902? theculturetrip.com/europe/ireland/articles/a-brief-histor... Edit - and of course the photo is here on flickr!! Which shop? I think it replaced Correll's - [https://www.flickr.com/photos/tg4/27367776030/] & [https://www.flickr.com/photos/tg4/17853984721/]
Posted: 27.06.2018  
 
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/beachcomberaustralia] We are before 1902. Harutun Batmazian was not in the census for 1901 but here he is with his Family in Cork in 1910
Posted: 28.06.2018  
 
guliolopez
Funnily enough, the Metropole was "in the news" yesterday. For some unexpected guests in the dining room. Perhaps they were following this thread - and decided to go have a look?
Posted: 03.07.2018  
 
Niall McAuley
If you look at the pillars across the front, they go square round round square, square round round square. The Hadji Bey shop is round on the left, square on the right, door on the left. Not an exact match for any shopfront here, but not the Correll shop anyhow. This lineup, Correll, Musgrave, Hotel, Lawson and New Market Dairy are in both 1903 and 1910 Guy's, and we see here that Correll's is moving here shortly from the Munster Arcade on Patrick's street, so we are before 1904 anyhow. In 1910, Hadji Bey's is in the Metropole Arcade, which I think was out opposite St. Patrick's Church on the lower Glanmire Rd. In 1921, the Metropole Arcade is gone from Guy's (although the Metropole Laundry is out there) and Hadji Bey is listed in Metropole Buildings King Street. 1897-1903.
Posted: 10.05.2021  
 
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
From a 1898 publication via [British Library] [https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/11153260864/]
Posted: 25.01.2022