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OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE RESTORED |
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OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE RESTORED |
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A Brief History of the City Hall It was 1813, when Aaron Cardozo, a wealthy and influential Gibraltarian merchant, was finally granted the site to build a house in the present John Mackintosh Square. which had also been known, at various times, as The Alameda, The Parade and Commercial Square.
He had been fighting officialdom for 20 years. always receiving evasive answers, but in the end, he won the day. This favour was long due to him, because for many years, he had been a friend of Nelson, sailing to Algiers to obtain supplies for the admiral's fleet. It is reputed that Nelson was so grateful for his help that his parting words were "If I survive, Cardozo, you shall no longer remain in this dark corner of the world." Cardozo had to leave Gibraltar due to ill health, and, when he died, his heirs, after renting the property to the Club House Hotel, sold it to Pablo Antonio Larios, a wealthy Gibraltarian merchant of Spanish descent. Larios spent a fortune improving and re-decorating the property, to the extent of installing bathrooms with hot and cold running water in 1875! The fireplaces were made of marble and alabaster, the drawing room was richly decorated and the ceiling painted with medallions of Roman Emperors and classical scenes. No expense was spared in fitting the mansion with exquisite furniture and fittings. When everything was ready and as the Larios family prepared to move in, an official announcement was made to the effect that the Duke of Connaught, Queen Victoria's son, was arriving at Gibraltar on a staff appointment. Pablo Antonio lost no time in offering the Duke his newly refurbished property, to use as his residence during his stay in Gibraltar, an offer which was readily accepted. The Duke's stay was most enjoyable. We read about receptions and balls, shooting wildfowl at the Laguna de Janda, hunting wild boar in Morocco and riding to hounds with the Calpe Hunt.
After the Duke's departure, the Larios family enjoyed their property and the house was known for a long time as "Connaught House". Pablo Antonio was so identified with Gibraltar, that he christened his five sons:- Carlos, Augusto, Leopoldo, Pablo and Ernesto, their initials forming the name CALPE. His son Pablo inherited the house and, through his marriage to the Marquesa de Marzales, became the Marques de Marzales. He was Master of the Royal Calpe Hunt for 45 years and an influential and highly-respected citizen. There is an anecdote about Pablo Larios' row with the then Governor, General Sir Alexander Godley. The Governor did not want a civilian as Master of the Hunt, so he made life difficult for Pablo, who had to resign. But Pablo had the upper hand, as most of the land in the Campo area where the hunt used to meet, was owned by his family, and he put it out of bounds to the Hunt. The atmosphere got so tense that General Godley issued an order that no officer was to fraternize with any member of the Larios family. The clash came to the ears of King George V, joint Patron of the Hunt, who asked his private secretary to inquire what was going on in Gibraltar. The reply was "We've got a problem here. On the one hand we have the Godleys, and, on the other, the Ungodleys!" The feud was settled by the next Governor, Sir Charles Harington, who took the Solomonic decision of appointing Lady Harington and Pablo Larios joint Masters of the Hunt. In 1920, financial difficulties forced Pablo to sell the property to the Colonial Government. in 1924, the property became home to the newly formed City Council. The Council was dissolved in 1969, since when, the Council Chamber has been used for the Mayor's civic receptions. |
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