Filenews 7 December 2021 - by Dora Christodoulou
The Municipal Authority of Pafos raised the issue of acquiring the Shelley House, which belongs to the state, in order to stop its long abandonment and for the municipality to proceed with its promotion, maintenance and exploitation. The answer, however, according to exclusive information of "F", was negative, since the municipal authority was competently communicated that the building will house a specific state service.
The Shelley House is one of the city's most charged historic buildings, the existence of which most people are unaware of precisely because of decades of abandonment. That is why the mayor of Pafos, Phaedon Phaedonos, asked months ago for its transfer from the state to the municipality in order to maintain and utilize it. Now, however, it is expected to formalize its use for the purposes of a specific state agency related to the Ministry of Justice and Public Order.
It is the house that many knew as the residence of the police director of Pafos, until recently, but which was unaware of its history. Its inclusion in the programme of events of the European Capital of Culture Organisation has revealed in recent months a story like a fairy tale behind this unknown aspect of it.
The house was named after Dr. Horatio Shelley, a British doctor during the British occupation, who served as director of the Medical Services from 1947 to 1953.
The director of the artistic program of "Pafos 2017", Georgia Decher, had stated at the time to "F" that through the minimal information in newspaper archives about his life, Dr. Shelley emerges as an interesting case in the network of colonialism.
"He travelled extensively, particularly in Africa, where he was actively involved in the study of the use of poisons and antidotes in African magic rituals," he stressed. "He came to Cyprus from Tanganyika, part of present-day Tanzania, and led the anti-malaria campaign that plagued the island. After his retirement, Horace Shelley settled in this house in Paphos, only to leave a few years later for Rhodesia, today's Zimbabwe. He never reached his destination, since he left his last breath on the ship between Cyprus and Greece. A life of medical explorations and wandering in different places, found its end at sea".
The story of Dr. Shelley, as a forgotten story of wandering, which highlights Paphos as a place of transition, stresses Mrs. Decher, was treated by the actions of Pafos 2017 as part of the fabric of the city.
The Shelley House returned to the forefront of public life in Paphos during the city's operation as the European Capital of Culture in 2017.
