The Bray Head Hotel, which has featured in classic Irish films such as The Commitments and My Left Foot, as well as being a regular haunt for Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, has gone on the market with a guide price of €1.8 million.
It had been owned by the Regan family for over 55 years, was purpose-built in the 1880's, extends to over 40,000 square feet and and still retains its Victorian features, reports the Irish Times. The hotel was the last of six in the Regan's family group, whose portfolio consisted of the Crofton House Hotel and Salthill Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, Crofton Airport hotel, which is now the Regency Hotel, the Crofton Hotel Carlow and the Holyrood Hotel in Bray.
"The most striking of all of course is the regular visits to the property by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor while Burton was filming The Spy Who Came in From the Cold at Ardmore, and again while filming Wagner in 1981. Other stars who have enjoyed drinks in the cocktail lounge include George Peppard and Ursula Andress while filming Blue Max in 1966," said estate agents Lisney.
There was originally had 80-bedrooms in the hotel, however it currently has 60, of which 48 are en-suite. Other facilities include a cocktail lounge with a large ballroom and a function room. Planning permission had been granted for the development of 33 apartments and a new hotel with 18-bedrooms, a restaurant and bar for the building, however it ultimately expired.
Lisney expect "strong interest from hoteliers, developers and investors as well as residential builders" due to "the increasing strength of the new apartment market in locations along the east coast such as Greystones".
