Ambassador’s Residence

Glencairn, the Residence of the British Ambassador to Ireland, was built in the mid-nineteenth century and modified one hundred years later. In 2004 we selected art to reflect the different architectural styles of the house, from mock-Jacobean to Victorian. James Burgess and Hugh Cameron’s paintings represent the Victorian era, and Cornelius Johnson’s portrait of Lady Ann Rich (1620) sits well within the seventeenth century-style wooden hall.

Before the British Government bought Glencairn in 1953, it was the home of Richard Westell Croker, who had bred race horses there. The winner of the 1907 Epsom horse race, Orby, is buried in the grounds. This equestrian theme was amplified by displaying a series of prints by John Sturgess that depict races at nearby Punchestown. Other artists whose works have Irish connections were displayed including William Orpen, John Lavery, and Carel Weight.

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