Craig's Royal Hotel
- For hotels with the same or similar names, see Royal Hotel.
Craig's Royal Hotel is a hotel in Ballarat, Victoria, <1862-2015>.
Background
The first hotel on the site was the Ballarat Hotel, also known as Bath's Hotel. This was the first licensed hotel on the Ballarat goldfields.[1] Thomas Bath was granted a licence on 1 July 1853 for the Ballarat Hotel.[1] Walter Craig took over the hotel by June 1858, and it was renamed some time after that.[2]
History
One of the finest hotels in the Commonwealth is without doubt Craig's Royal hotel, Lydiard street, Ballarat, of which Mr. S. Seward is proprietor. All the appointments are of the best and most up-to-date style.[3]
An attempt was made to sell the hotel in 1949: Ballarat Hotel Passed In At £64,500. Craig's Royal Hotel, Ballarat, whose history is linked with Ballarat from the' earliest days of the gold rush, was offered at auction yesterday and passed in at £ 64,500 for sale by private treaty. Negotiations are proceeding, and it is expected that a sale will be made at a figure above that of the highest auction bid. Vendor was Mrs M. Martin, widow of the late Cr M. Martin, who had conducted the hotel for many years. Selling agents were Messrs Percy Henry and Galbraith, of Melbourne, and Thiessen and Irvine, of Ballarat.[4]
Craig's Hotel was sold in 1954:
Famous Hotel Sold. Melbourne: Two brothers, who conduct one of the biggest poultry farms in the world, yesterday paid £76,500 for Craig's Royal Hotel, Ballarat. They are Messrs. James and Walter Carter, of Werribee, who last week bid £69,500 at auction for the hotel. The reserve was £80,000. The sale was completed privately yesterday. Craig's hotel has many historic associations with the Ballarat, district and early Victoria. It was there, in 1867-68, that Adam Lindsay Gordon, an Australian poet, kept the livery stables.[5]
POET GORDON'S INN.
Craig's Hotel, the oldest hostelry In Ballarat. has been sold by the proprietor. Frank Heiman, of Goller and Co., to Mrs. T. Newton, the present tenant, for 30.000 pounds. The hotel gains its name from the late Walter Craig, who owned it in the year he dreamt his horse Nimblefoot would win the Melbourne Cup, and that the rider would wear a black armband. The dream was fulfilled in detail, but Mr. Craig died a week or two before the cup. Craig's was the headquarters of Adam Lindsay Cordon. and for a time he was the lessee of the stables attached.[6]
Site
Craig's Hotel is on the west side of Lydiard Street South, Ballarat, now numbered as 10 Lydiard Street South.[7]
Innovations
In 1917 the hotel was issued with a special permit to serve alcohol with meals between 6.00pm and 8.00pm.[8]
Community Involvement
The hotel was the venue for community meetings including:
- Licensed Victuallers' Association: December 1877.[9]
Works Produced
Workplace Relations
The People
- From at least May 1859 to July 1864 the publican was Walter Craig.[10][11][12][13]
- <1882> G. Thompson was the proprietor.[14]
- In 1885-89> the publican was W. Bentley[15][16]
- <1901-1904 Ernest L. Bentley, Proprietor[17]
- In May 1904 the license was transferred from Ernest L. Bentley to Stephen Seward.[18]
- In 1916 Mary Kathleen Beegan was working as a barmaid at the hotel.[19]
- In 1937 the publican was Albert Page, who had previously been at both the Provincial Hotel and the Buck's Head Hotel.[20] In 1937 Page bought the Club Hotel at Sale, Victoria.
- Adam Lindsay Gordon
- <1970-1972> H.A. Morris was the publican[21]
Legacies
See also
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hargreaves, John. Ballarat Hotels Past and Present, pg. 2, 1943, Ballarat
- ↑ 1858 'DISTRICT POLICE COURT. Friday, 18th June.', The Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), 21 June, p. 2, viewed 9 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66048774
- ↑ Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918) Sat 30 Sep 1905 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/89592275?
- ↑ 1949 'Ballarat Hotel Passed In At £64,500.', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 8 December, p. 17, viewed 9 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22796986
- ↑ 1954 'Famous Hotel Sold.', Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954), 1 May, p. 1, viewed 8 November, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49949018
- ↑ Queensland Times (Ipswich, Qld. : 1909 - 1954) Thu 18 Oct 1923
- ↑ http://craigsroyal3-px.rtrk.com.au/ Craig's Royal Hotel website
- ↑ 1917 'BALLARAT LICENSING COURT.', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 19 January, p. 4, viewed 30 January, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1591243
- ↑ 1877 'NEWS AND NOTES', The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), 22 December, p. 2. , viewed 13 Jul 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article199282981
- ↑ 1859 'DISTRICT POLICE COURT.', The Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), 28 May, p. 2, viewed 28 December, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66053306
- ↑ 1862 'DISTRICT POLICE COURT.', The Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), 18 June, p. 2, viewed 12 February, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66324917
- ↑ 1863 'BALLARAT WEST PUBLICANS' ANNUAL LICENSING MEETING.', The Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), 12 June, p. 4, viewed 10 February, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72514938
- ↑ 1864 'DISTRICT PUBLICANS' LICENSING MEETING.', The Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), 2 July, p. 4. , viewed 10 Oct 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66346137
- ↑ Niven's Guide Book and Souvenir of Ballarat, 1882.
- ↑ F. W. Niven & Co's Ballarat and District Directory for 1888-9
- ↑ Ballarat Star, 19 May 1885. Federation University Historical Collection Cat. No. 12829>
- ↑ Ballarat School of Mines Students' Magazine, 1901.
- ↑ 1904 'LICENSING COURT.', The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), 5 May, p. 3. , viewed 19 Sep 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article210151760
- ↑ 1916 Victorian Electoral Roll, Ballarat, Ballarat West,
- ↑ "Club Hotel, Sale." The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) 5 Jun 1937: 22. Web. 12 Mar 2014 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11069469>.
- ↑ Sands & McDougall's Directory of Ballarat. 1970-1972
Further Reading
External Links
https://ballaratmi.org.au/heritage/max-harris-photography-collection
--Mjeffs 15:41, 9 October 2018 (AEDT)