He purchased and donated Arnott’s Brewery premises to the city for the building of a new technical college, which was officially opened as the Sharman Crawford Municipal Technical Institute in 1912. Mabel’s carried on the family tradition of brewing and was a Director of Beamish and Crawford. Indeed it is AF’s mother Mabel whose likeness is resting over the fireplace in the front entrance of the house, and our award-winning restaurant is named in her honour. John Hogan, Ireland’s greatest neo-classical sculptor, owed much of his success to the support of Crawford and fellow patrons and when you make the trip, you will see Hogan’s sculpture of William Crawford Junior displayed in the Crawford Art Gallery.Īrthur Frederick, A.F, was the owner and proprietor of The Vienna Woods Country House Hotel from 1875-1946. Fin Barre’s Cathedral, and the Crawford School of Art became The Crawford Art Gallery. In 1979, the school of art transferred to the former technical college that had been endowed by William Horatio’s cousin, (and former owner and resident of The Vienna Woods Country House Hotel) Arthur Frederick Sharman Crawford, near St. If you look carefully at the left hand side of the entrance into our ballroom, you will notice an original oil painting of William Horatio Crawford taking pride of place, our own nod of respect to this great supporter of the arts. In the early 1880s William Horatio Crawford funded the extension of old Custom House at Emmet Place and donated many works of art to the new school that was opened officially in 1885 and re-named the Crawford School of Art. The Crawfords were passionate supporters of the arts, and two of their most significant contributions to Cork City are the institutions, which proudly bear the family name The Crawford Gallery and The Crawford School of Art, our second and third stops on the list. *Details from Tom Spalding, Cork Architectural Press The pub is named for the oval-shaped ceiling in the main bar, which despite some modernisation, retains many original features, and has been described as “an important part of the architectural legacy of the Beamish and Crawford families to the city”. The building shows a variety of influences, including that of CFA Voysey with a hint of the ‘Scottish Baronnial’ style. The detached pub is a fantastic example of twentieth century architecture in Cork and was designed as a ‘tied house’ for Beamish and Crawford.

The Oval Public House on Main Street, is the first stop on our list. The brewery was successful from the beginning, and the company quickly became the largest brewer in the country, employing nearly five hundred people in 1807. William Crawford II came to Cork in 1792, and founded the brewing firm Beamish & Crawford along with William Beamish.

The Crawford family were originally Scottish, hailing from Aidland, near Dalry in Ayrshire, and travelled to Ireland in 1618. The history and times of The Vienna Woods Country House Hotel is particularly connected to the Crawford family.

We developed The Vienna Woods Country House Hotel Cultural Connections guide to enable guests to the house, and to the area to explore the geographical and historical tapestry weaved by these remarkable figures of the past, and we hope as you visit each of the stops on the trail that you might be infused by the same sort of artistic and creative inspiration that seemed to spur these Cork city legends on. The history of the old country house is inextricably linked with Cork City’s Arts and Brewing heritage, and the past preoccupations of the philanthropists who resided here have left a permanent and indelible print on the city’s cultural landscape. Guests staying at The Vienna Woods Country House Hotel are often intrigued by the former inhabitants of the building, and it’s certainly easy to daydream about the life and times of those who went before us while lounging underneath the restored ornate stucco of our drawing rooms, or enjoying breakfast in the old library room where fantastical carvings on the wall ignite imaginations further.

Corks vienna woods hotel