Dublin Bewley’s to re-open under new name

IT was a favourite haunt for Ireland’s artists, with writers Brendan Behan and Patrick Kavanagh often seen nursing a coffee in its corners.

Now it seems one of Dublin’s much loved cafes will reopen its doors under ambitious new owners.

The sale of the 5,530 sq ft Bewley’s Cafe site on Westmoreland Street has been agreed for €25 million. It is set to open in with a new facade, name and owner in the new year.

An informed source yesterday confirmed the buy-out of the site includes a consortium made up of property developer Simon Kelly, the Thomas Read group and Col Campbell, a former managing director of Bewley’s cafes.

Campbell Bewley Ltd, which owns the property, is all but waiting to close the deal but remained mute about the sale yesterday.

“We can say categorically that no agreement has been fully completed, at present, with regard to the sale of our properties at Westmoreland Street. We are in exclusive discussions with a bidder in relation to this matter, but we have no wish to comment any further until a deal has been fully concluded,” a spokesman said.

The site includes a hotel and two bars as well as the old Bewley’s Cafe which traded on Westmoreland Street from 1896 up until late 2004 when it closed.

Campbell Bewley Ltd insisted all remnants of its brand at the site would disappear with the sale. According to reports, the new proprietors’ plan is to keep the upkeep of the original coffee rooms on the Fleet Street side of the site, with the stained glass windows.