The Lady has arrived in town, as Paddy Coughlan and his Bourke St group re-open the renovated and rebranded (Lady) Hampshire Hotel.
Following a whirlwind make-over, including a new kitchen and huge custom indoor mural* featuring a motley crew of Australian celebrities, the new Lady of Camperdown will enjoy a launch party tonight.
After three years lying dormant, the Hampshire Hotel reopened quietly to the public as the Lady Hampshire last Thursday (10 November). Attracting the kind of attention that comes with a near-forgotten landmark and serendipitous revival, the new offering will be full speed in time for summer.
Speaking to PubTIC, Coughlan says the word has already gotten out.
“We traded through our first weekend, and had a good response from the locals,” reported the former Riversdale CEO.
“We’ve given the old girl a good tidy-up and prepared for a rebranding, just getting her back into shape for trade.”
Located on bustling Parramatta Road, within cooee of Sydney University, the Lady will focus her attentions on the Bourke St staples of music, art and sport, with a healthy lashing of beer appreciation – much like her brother venue, the group’s nearby Lord Gladstone.
Music will come in the form of DJs and “a bit of everything” as well as regular live bands – capitalising on the diminished opportunities in Sydney’s transforming live music scene, which has seen stalwarts such as the Sandringham and Lansdowne Hotels close their doors, and The Annandale shift focus from sticky carpet to family-friendly.
Questioned on recent rumours of the sale and revival of live music mecca the Hopetoun Hotel in Bourke St, just a kilometre away from the Lord Gladstone, Coughlan had just one thing to say.
“If the owners do ever decide to sell – tell them to call me!”
*The Lady now boasts a mural the full length of a hallway wall, known as ‘Larrikin’s Laneway’. It was painted by artist Scotty Marsh, and littered with Australian celebrities inta en pose. Coughlan offered no explanation as to why it depicts Alf from Home & Away (incongruously) trying to stop Russell Crowe slugging Kyle Sandilands – below.
