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Europa Hotel
For many years this hotel was the tallest building in Belfast seen for miles around. The fact that others have joined the club now is only a sign of the times. As George Mitchell wrote in 2003: ‘The fortunes of the hotel are a barometer for the wider situation in Northern Ireland.’
The Europa’s façade made from granite-based stone is illustrated quite eloquently by tall Grecian columns, foyer doors and desks made of cherry wood and a light coloured marble interior contrasted with the finest timber.
Just inside to the left hand of the foyer is this welcoming fireside surrounded with notable works of art. On either side of the steps are these wonderful wooden bases depicting animal heads and other symbols evocative of past hunting traditions. Above it is a figure one male and one female quite possibly Greek in origin. The sculptures were purchased by Dr Hastings having originally furnished another hotel.
The painting above the fireplace was executed by the renowned artist Rita Duffy. It illustrates quite a significant piece of local history. While poking around some lockers in the old shipyard area in Belfast Rita found a jacket with the initials HW, referring to Harland & Wolff and obviously belonging to Billy McCracken. The painting therefore is reminiscent of those dockers that worked at one time in one of the most prosperous shipyards in the world.
The bar literally behind this area which displays decorative elements such as literary proverbs on walls and a mosaic on the floor also demonstrates another vestige of the local art scene. This print of a painting on the wall however, is a little more personal. The original was completed by Mitch McDade and presented to President Clinton when he was visiting here in 1995. Much has been said of President Clinton’s sincerity and affection for the Irish and so this painting of him with a local equally reflects this image that he is a man of the people.
Alongside this print are more photographs by Jill Jennings and image transfers by Chris Hill which show famous Irish artists; the three here are Keats,Wilde and Joyce. They were commissioned by the Hastings Group as part of their policy of supporting Irish talent.
This modern version of a clock from the Great Northern Railway Company, which once stood where the Europa is today, calls to mind another historical artefact from Belfast’s industrial revolution. In fact, even the present front lay-by of the hotel is reminiscent of the old porte cochére of the station where buses used to pull up and let passengers off.
Passing through the hall of fame so to speak, are photographs of those famous personalities who have stayed in the Europa and include local names as well as great Holy Wood actors. At the top of the stairs is the Piano Bar, aptly named as there is a Kawai Grand Piano in the corner.
Of course it wasn’t always this elegant or beautiful. Going back to the beginning, this location as previously mentioned was home to the Great Northern Company and also to the Grosvernor Rooms where the first meeting of the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland took place in 1960. It was quite ironic that even then many years before the birth of the Europa that they held a discussion on the ‘Industrial Development in Northern Ireland’.
In the mid 1960s, designs were drawing up by architects Messrs. Sidney Kaye, Eric Firkin and Partners in London, while Farrans of Dunmurry won the contract to build the hotel. So, in 1971 the Europa Hotel opened its doors to the public under the auspices of the Grand Metropolitan and it’s first general Manager was Harper Brown. The next couple of decades though were far from successful. The hotel was directly targeted by the IRA on numerous occasions. As a consequence the owners even changed its name in 1983 to the Forum Hotel in order to allay tourists fears but of course this was only folly in any case as it did nothing to prevent further bomb attacks.
Eventually, Dr Billy Hastings, a leading Irish hotelier purchased the hotel in 1993. It was a dream he always coveted and one that cost him £4.4m even after a bomb that damaged it in May 1993. Although this was to be the last attack on the hotel it had already earned itself the dubious accolade of being ‘the most bombed hotel in Europe’.
This is the Edinburgh Suite on the 12th floor. It’s often used for conferences or special events such as a public art gallery. The paintings on the walls here were by Christine Bowen who lives and works in County Kerry.
The most famous part of the hotel is now the Clinton Suite. Considering the significance of President Clinton’s stay here it is quite easily the most surprising too, for the simple reason that nobody could quite imagine how ‘unpresidential’ this suite is.
Room 1011 is hardly more different or for that matter bigger than most hotel rooms which is the more astonishing given the fact that President Clinton refused to stay anywhere else. However, this again attests to his faith in Irish hospitality.
Granted that when his entourage did arrive in November 1995, they laid siege to three whole floors and the Presidential couple were no doubt left wanting for nothing. The hotel has kicked off a series of restructuring plans that will see several rooms knocked into one and finally provide future Presidential visits with a lot more space to stretch out.
What the visit did most for Belfast was to bring in the new era of change for the good. When the Hastings Group had employed the services of the architects Robinson Patterson Partnership and the builders Grahams of Dromore, this was not only a bold and courageous move but a measure of a wider social phenomenon away from the violence of the past to a more prosperous future.
References
http://www.hastingshotels.com/europa/index.htm
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