History of the House

Fota House was originally a modest two-storey shooting lodge. The Smith-Barry's, the owners, lived in the family homes in Britain, coming to Ireland for the fishing, shooting, hunting and yachting. In the early 19th century, John Smith-Barry (1793 - 1837) decided to make Fota his home. John Smith-Barry was a colourful character and was renowned for his hospitality, being known as John the Magnificent. He developed Fota by building sea walls and the demesne wall, turning Fota into an estate of parks, plantations and pleasure grounds. He also enjoyed yachting and hunting. Since his father did not marry his mother, he failed to inherit the title Earl of Barrymore when his cousin died in 1823.

John Smith-Barry commissioned the renowned architects Sir Richard Morrison and his son William Vitruvius Morrison to convert the hunting lodge into an elegant residence. Initially it was proposed that the design should reflect the current fashion for Tudor revival but a more elegant Regency style was ultimately executed. Two new wings were added and a handsome Doric portico made an elegant entrance. The interior was opened up with fine Scagliola columns, leading to an attractive stone staircase, elegant dining room and library and a magnificent drawing room.

In 1872 the engineer Sir John Benson designed the beautiful billiards room and an extensive conservatory. In 1897 the conservatory was altered to become the present long gallery.

The billiards room was used for meetings of the Royal Cork Yacht Club believed to be the oldest yacht club in the world. Legend has it that the term 'Black Balled' originated at yacht club meetings in this room. The story goes that if you wished to reject an application for membership a black ball was rolled along the billiard table.

Fota House was opened to the public in 1983. It housed a very fine collection of furniture and paintings, the property of Mr. Richard Wood. Following a ceiling collapse in 1990 the house was closed to the public for safety reasons.

Staff

There were two categories of staff in Fota House - Upper Staff, such as the Housekeeper and the Butler, who were always from Britain and who were predominantly Protestant; and lower Staff who were always Irish, usually locals and predominantly Catholic. Upper Staff dined in the Housekeeper's room. Lower Staff in a simple stone floored room four steps lower! Staff lived in the servant's wing of the house. The servant's wing and the kitchen are on the down-wind side of the house - a typical design for houses of that period. Some of the Fota staff lived in the nearby village of Belvelly in houses which were part of the Fota Estate. Entry to and exit from the house, by the staff, was through a laneway, between two very high walls, which concealed the view of the staff from visitors. Working hours were very long. The staff breakfasted at 8am. Work finished in the evening between 9:30pm and 10:30pm, depending on the number of people for dinner, which was served at 8pm. Staff received one half-day per week beginning at 3pm and every second Sunday off. The half-day was usually on a Thursday when the Bells and guests went to Cork for lunch. A typical work schedule was as follows:

• 8am Staff breakfast
• 9am Mrs. Bell and family had breakfast in the dining room
• Bedrooms were done while Major and Mrs. Bell (and any guests) were at breakfast
• The butler laid out the clothes for the men and housemaids laid out the clothes for the ladies
• Housemaids also brought up early morning tea, pulled the curtains, and opened the shutters
• Bells and guests assembled in the Hall to go to various activities (e.g. shooting, hunting, yachting, flower shows, horse shows, etc.). As an aside, the Bells always rented a house in Dublin for Horse Show week
• Afternoon Tea was served in the library in the Library in the Winter and the Long Gallery in the Summer
• Tea over by 6pm
• Staff washed up and prepared dinner which was served at 8pm
• 7:30pm guests went upstairs to dress for dinner - housemaids having already laid out evening clothes for them
• Following dinner, gentlemen stayed talking and drinking in the Dining room. Women retreated to the Library.
• Housemaids put hot water bottles in the beds, removed the bedspreads, and turned down the beds
• All shoes were taken downstairs and polished
• Gentlemen's clothes were cleaned and pressed by the butler and taken upstairs in the morning
• Fires in various rooms had to be attended to and ashes removed (as there was no central heating)
• Chamber pots had to be emptied (usually two per room).

The Housekeeper looked after very important guests while lower staff attended to less important guests. Guests' clothes had to be unpacked after arrival and packed again prior to their departure. Following their departure, rooms were stripped, inkwells were emptied, pens washed, ornaments put away, and furniture covered with dust sheets. Rooms had to be prepared again for new guests. Everything was done for the Bells and their guests. The housemaids did all the sewing. When linen sheets were worn in the middle, they were cut in two down the middle and the two former outer edges were sewn together - a process known as sides-to-middle technique. Towels were changed regularly and washed by hand until Mrs. Bell invested in a Bendix washing machine in the late fifties. Staff wore black with a small white apron in the evening. Blue was worn in the morning with a big apron. On Sundays the chauffer drove staff to mass in a van. Protestant members of staff went to church only at Easter and at Christmas.