As it turns out, Lord Connemara liked to party. And though this was in the late 1800s, there was nothing even remotely Victorian about his bashes. If you’re floundering about for a suitable image, picture less-Jane Austen, more Led Zeppelin in the Playboy mansion.
Standing at the graceful Vivanta by Taj Connemara lobby, and gazing at a portrait of the deceptively poker-faced Englishman who was the Governor of Madras for four years, a representative from the hotel desperately attempts to find an elegant way to describe the parties. “He, well… He was caught by his wife who returned home unexpectedly. She walked right into him with his, um, ‘female colleagues’.”
The city’s favourite historian S. Muthiah is characteristically more candid about the whole affair. “Lord Connemara liked young girls,” he says. “And one day, Lady Connemara walked in on him with a group of them. She promptly flounced out with her bags.” She moved to what is now the Connemara Hotel (then called The Albany) and stayed there for the next four months, after which she sailed back to England with her estranged husband, and promptly divorced him.
The hotel, which is turning 125 years old this year, is on a mission to recapture the old-world glamour of its past with glossy butler service, languid English high teas and vintage car rides. Settling down to their newly introduced ‘Burra Hazri’ breakfast, Muthiah traces the hotel’s past with a series of charming, and largely forgotten, stories. But first he explains why the hotel is significant to the city. “This is not a Nawabi or British or Taj hotel: it’s our hotel. It’s been a part of this city’s history since the early 19t Century when it was a house that was bought by John Binny (not-so-affectionately known as deaf Binny, because he was hard of hearing) who bought the property from the Nawab of Arcot in 1799.
The garden house was eventually bought by T. Somasundara Mudaly. It was turned into the Imperial Hotel in 1854, boasting ‘Bachelor’s Quarters’ and wines “from the celebrated house of Messrs. McDowell & Co.” By 1886, it had been rechristened again. This time it was called ‘The Albany’. This is the hotel that Lady Connemara moved into, when she unexpectedly returned from a holiday in Ootacamund and walked in on her husband’s raucous house party. So when it was renamed The Connemara in 1890, rumour has it that it was named after her, not her husband Robert Bourke.
Since hotels were for long-term stays then, most of The Connemara’s guests were young men who moved to India from England, and young families. They stayed for anything from one to three years. To accommodate their staff, many of whom used to sleep in the corridors, the hotel was remodelled, and individual bearers were introduced for each room. When Spencer’s, which had bought the hotel in 1891, went through a bad patch financially, they leased the hotel to the Taj Group in 1974. “The hotel is still technically Spencer’s property,” says Muthiah, adding thoughtfully, “I don’t know who got the better of the deal. I personally think The Taj did. Spencer’s was so desperate for the deal by then.”
To the old guests, however, it’s still the same hotel, regardless of changes in names and management. A young officer in the Royal Navy, John Dean, who stayed on the lawns of the hotel in a tent for one night during the War years was so charmed by the hotel, he never stopped visiting it every time he came to the city. On his 50th visit, the hotel threw a party for everyone in residence.
The Spencer's that was
In 1891, Spencer’s was just a little shop on Mount Road. Its owner, Eugene Oakshott, bought the Connemara hotel along with its nine acres of land because he wanted to expand. By 1896, the new Spencer’s building was reportedly the biggest department store in all of Asia. They sold almost everything a potential customer could need – all under one roof; cooking ranges, wine, fabrics… even vaccinations.
The competition: D’Angelis
The Connemara’s only competition was the D’Angelis hotel, now a heartbreakingly ramshackle building on Mount Road, best known for housing a large Bata showroom. Other than the showroom, the rest of the building is in disrepair, but if you look closely, you can still see remnants of its glorious past in the ravaged but dignified structure. Spencer’s began life here in 1863 as Durrant’s, according to Madras Musings. Italian confectioner D’Angeli then opened a hotel here in 1908, complete with intricate wrought iron railings, a Parisian garden and Italian food. In 1927, it was taken over by another Italian confectioner – Attillio Bosotto, and named Hotel Bosotto. If you can sneak in, it’s worth taking a look around the building to see what’s left of Madras’ glitzy past.
