Advertisements and Novelty Postcards

Hotels often produced their own postcards as they served as a convenient way to advertise. The Royal Marine Hotel was originally Haye's Royal Hotel. It was taken over by William Dargen and the architect John McCurdy designed an elaborate plan for the new hotel. Due to financial problems the plan had to be scaled down considerably by 1865. Haye's Hotel was remodelled instead of being replaced completely. The centrepiece and south wing were the only parts of the original design used.

Kingstown Novelty Postcard

Mostly every topic imaginable has been put on a postcard, at one time or another. Beach views were always popular, reminding people of holidays. This postcard is a variation on that theme, showing a young girl playing in the sand at Kingstown. The postcard is nicely coloured and light-hearted

Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Kingstown Novelty Postcard
Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Kingstown Novelty Postcard

Mostly every topic imaginable has been put on a postcard, at one time or another. Beach views were always popular, reminding people of holidays. This postcard is a variation on that theme, showing a young girl playing in the sand at Kingstown. The postcard is nicely coloured and light-hearted

Image acquired from The Collectors' Shop, Blackrock.

Enlarge image

In 1960 the hotel lost its Victorian tower and French pavilions due to roof renovations. A conference centre was erected in the 1970s and replaced a section of the hotel. Beside the hotel Gresham Terrace was also demolished in the 1970s having existed since the 1830s. The hotel has come to symbolise the difficult relationship between history and progress. It stands as the only nineteenth century hotel building to remain in Dun Laoghaire.

Another example, dating from 1905 uses an image of Kingstown as viewed from the East Pier. Unusually this postcard is an advertisement for Tyler's boots. A small crest is visible in the left hand corner of the postcard. The logo 'Tyler's Boots are the best' is written around it like a motto. This is quite a subtle advertisement by normal standards.

Sometimes postcard publishers went for a more novel approach with their designs. Beach images were always popular and offered another approach to advertising places. Publishers, often in competition with each other, strove to find different formats for their postcards.

This ambition even extended to the materials the postcards were printed on. Examples included leather, wood and silk. The Pavilion in Kingstown appears as an aluminium effect postcard.