20th Century

A photograph of its reading room, resembling an old-fashioned drawing room, illustrated a brochure published by the hotel in 1911 and other pictures were of exotic-looking public rooms. Reference was made to a drawing room reserved for ladies and a smoking room. The dining hall seated 150 at separate tables. A dark room was available, free of charge, and there were hotel stables.

Terms then were modest indeed. They ranged from 8s.6d. to 15s. per day, per person, and included board, bedroom, lights and attendance. If one ate in one's bedroom, there was an extra charge of 6d. for breakfast, 6d. for lunch and 1s. for dinner.

In the restaurant, lunches were served at 2s.6d. per head. Dinner cost 4s. Apartments in the hotel were available. Additional charges included 1s. for a bath in a bathroom, 6d. for a hipbath in one¹s room, 1s.6d. for a fire in the room by day and 1s. for an evening fire. Visitors¹ servants boarded in the steward¹s room and this, with a bedroom, cost 6s.6d. per day each. In 1930 winter terms were from three guineas weekly. For those brought up in the post-decimalisation era, 1s. (one shilling) equals 5p, 6d. (six old pennies) equals 2.5p and one guinea (21s.) equals £1.05.

There was one period when the life of the hotel changed. That was from 1940 to 1945, when the Germans occupied it as their General Staff Headquarters. The war over, great alterations were made. The hotel was enlarged and refurbished, yet its unique atmosphere of dignity and good fellowship remained and these qualities are as evident today as they were in the Gardners' time. One has only to step inside The OGH to appreciate this.

In 1957 Old Government House Hotel was honoured by the presence of Her Majesty the Queen at luncheon. She and the Duke of Edinburgh were the guests of the States of Guernsey, whose Bailiff, Sir Ambrose Sherwill, received them as the Royal Standard was hoisted. Several islanders were presented and the Bailiff proposed the loyal toast. The meal, needless to say, was fit for a Queen.

The area now known as The OGH Brasserie was constructed in 1958. This adjoins the original house front and is still in use as the entrance to the Sir John Coward Room.

In the early 1960s, the east-facing rooms, with the spectacular views over the adjacent Channel Islands, were constructed and later part of the extensive cellars were dramatically altered to form the island's first 'discotheque'. In 2001 this area was again substantially modified and opened as the 'Revolution at The OGH Health Club' in May 2002. Further alterations led to the creation of 'The Spa' that specializes in body treatments.