Elphinstone Hotel

The Elphinstone Hotel is an Australian pub located in Elphinstone, Victoria, originally named the Commercial Hotel and known over the years as Lonsdale’s Hotel, Doran’s Hotel and Tagell’s Hotel.

The Hotel in 2006

History

In the 1840s Elphinstone was known as Sawpit Gully and was renamed in the early 1800s. Built c.1860 and first commercially licensed by Sarah Fyans in 1871. In 1875 Sarah Fyans married Friedrick Richard Lonsdale and the licence transferred to him until his death in 1889.

Sarah Lonsdale owned the hotel until approximately 1905 when it was purchased by Newman & Co. Members of Sarah’s family ran the hotel until 1921, (50 years) except for 4 ½ years when it was leased to Joseph Archer. In 1922 a public telephone and exchange were located there as well as a store, which operated from the present day lounge until the 1960s, when it was moved to the newly built Elphinstone Post Office.

Before refrigeration, the hotel cellar was used to store the bodies of deceased locals before burial. Inquests were also held at the hotel.

From the 1920s to the 1950s publicans struggled to make a living from the hotel and by 1955 the hotel was literally falling down. When the Victorian Licensing Board threatened to revoke the licence a group of local graziers (Jim Barty, Alf Fletcher, Alan Finning, Ringan Oliver, Ian MacRae and Louis Smith), fearing the town would die if the hotel closed, pooled 500 pounds each to purchase the freehold and renovate the hotel.

Description

The Elphinstone Hotel is a large building (approx. 480 sq. metres) and has the appearance of a mid 1900s hotel even though it was built in the 1860s. Major renovations in 1956 have changed the building’s form to a corrugated iron, wide hipped roof adorned by two 1950s style chimneys. A straight, pitched veranda, (3 x 23 metres) at the front is slung from below the roofline. The veranda has no decoration and is supported by plain timber posts on concrete stumps. The original old brick walls are now clad in stippled concrete and painted cream. The timber sash windows and French style double glass doors to the bar and rear entrance, were obviously replaced during the 1950s renovations . Although much has changed, the hotel has many original features including the underground blue stone cellar which may even pre-date the building of the original brick hotel. The hotel sits on a large triangular allotment (approx. 75 x 40 x 86 metres), which is surrounded by a dark green Colorbond fence. Many old hand made bricks were uncovered during the construction of the fence, possibly the chimney remains of the Freemason’s Tavern which burnt down in 1879. An old iron and red gum shedding which sat on the southern fence line of the property was rebuilt in 2016 to the same original design and style. The small paddock on the south eastern corner of the property is used by the hotel as a customer Horse Paddock for those who ride horses to the hotel. Situated next to the Swan Hill railway line, the hotel along with the historic Elphinstone Railway Station, Bateman’s Garage and the war memorial form an historic triangle of the township.

Licensees

Licence started Licence Ended total years operated Name of Owner/s
4 Oct 1871 1876 5 Years Sarah Fyans
1876 17 Dec 1889 13 Years Richard Lonsdale
17 Dec 1889 25 Apr 1890 1 Year Mrs Sarah Lonsdale
25 Apr 1890 26 Apr 1895 5 Years Joseph Archer
26 Apr 1895 18 May 1900 5 Years Mrs Sarah Lonsdale
18 May 1900 09 May 1921 21 Years Patrick John Horan
9 May 1921 03 Apr 1922 - Years Alfred Lewis Western
03 Apr 1922 06 Jul 1922 1 Year Joseph Endall
7 May 1923 TBC Sarah Christina Stevenson
23 Nov 1937 14 Nov 1945 8 Years William Georoge Brown
11 Jun 1949 TBC Colin Beaumont
01 Jan 1954 01 Jan 1957 3 years Bill Tagell
01 Jan 1957 27 Jul 1959 2 years Clarence Ian Clifft (LIC.) & Nellie emily May Clifft
27 Jul 1959 08 Aug 1961 2 Years Allen Cecil Hunter (LIC.) & Elaine Joyce Morgan
(Awaiting missing info for this date range)
01 Jul 1996 01 Sept 1998 2 Years Helen Anderson (LIC), Pamela Dean
(Awaiting missing info for this date range)
01 Sep 2000 01 Jun 2002 2 Years Dave Rust (LIC.) & Gill Maskell
01 Jun 2002 01 Jun 2004 2 Years Cherylynn Quinn
(Awaiting missing info for this date range)
01 Oct 2005 1 Oct 2009 4 Years Ashley Okeefe
(Awaiting missing info for this date range)
14 Dec 2013 09 Dec 2019 6 Years Mani Heck (LIC.) & Chris Saunders
09 Dec 2019 Present day 1 Year Mark Fattore (LIC), Melanie Fattore

* (LIC. = Licensee)

References

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