His namesake, Dr Richard Barter, in conjunction with David Urquhart, author of The Pillars of Hercules,[3] had been attempting to build such a bath at his hydropathic establishment there.
They had been basing their design on the model of the Islamic hammam which Urquhart had described in his book, but their experimental bath failed because it was too steamy, and not hot enough for curative purposes.
[4] The knowledge he gained enabled the building, later in 1856, of the first successful Victorian Turkish bath—one specifically built for use by the hydro's patients and staff.
His eldest son, also called Richard, inherited the hydro and decided to complete the Hammam, arranging for it to be run by a manager and a resident physician.
[1] There has been much confusion over the possibility of there being a familial relationship between the architect and Dr Barter, some sources claiming he was the son, and others the nephew, of the doctor.
According to Professor Paula Murphy of UCD, contemporary critics commented that Barter would have achieved "much, much greater success if he had remained in London" rather than returning to Ireland as he did.