The Green Dragon Brewery

The Green Dragon Brewery

Chambers and Blades Brewery Ltd was founded in 1871 by F.J. Blades with his Brothers-in-law, William and Charles Chambers.

Chambers and Blades bought the Green Dragon Hotel, The Tanner’s Arms in Unley and the Queens Head Hotel and South Australian Hotel (of which they paid 28, 500 pounds for the freehold lease) in Adelaide. The men also owned vacant land on Surflen Street, Adelaide.

The Green Dragon Brewery located behind the hotel was first occupied by Chambers and Blade Brewers Ltd. who used the building until 1901.
Green Dragon Brewery was merged with the Walkerville Co-operative Brewing Company in 1901. William Chambers remained on the board of the new company as did Frederick Blades.

For the following six years the former Green Dragon Brewery building remained empty until, in 1907, it was taken over by Richard Mitchell & Co. Carriers. In 1916, the Adelaide Motor Bus Company used the building for storage of its double-decker buses for a year. From 1917, Richard Mitchell & Co. again used the large building for storage.
In 1926 a fire broke out in the old building gutting much of the building.
In 1931 the building was offered for sale.

Green Dragon Brewery 1901

SLSA: [PRG 631/2/1241]

In 1952, the Green Dragon Brewery building still stood as a local landmark. It was noted in The News, that the buildings name had influenced local nomenclature with a Green Dragon Furniture Storage House operating nearby, and a new Green Dragon Service Station, operated by ex-servicemen about to open.

Mr Frederick James Blades (1829 - 1895) came to South Australia in 1849 from Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. Blades married Mary Chambers (1846 –1925) in 1869.

Blades died at his estate, “Lyndhurst” on South Terrace on 16 November 1895, aged 65. He left a wife and seven children. F.J. Blades is buried in West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide.

Charles Chambers (1843-1877) and William Chambers (1849-1930) were sons of John Chambers, a wealthy pastoralist and mining speculator who had stations at Cherry Gardens, Cobdogla, and near present-day Renmark and mining interests near Blinman.

Charles was married for only four years to Mary Ransford (1849-1925) before his death in 1877. The pair had one child, Edgar, who managed the West End Brewery in Broken Hill. Charles died at his sheep station at Brimbago (near Keith). Mount Charles (near Keith) and Charles Creek (near Alice Springs) were named in Charles honour. Charles and Mary Chambers are buried at the North Road Cemetery, Nailsworth.

William Chambers was born at Cherry Gardens. He was educated at Young’s School, and later at St Peters College before working on one of his father's many cattle stations. He married Clara Bailey (1854-1937) in 1877. Together they had three children. William retired in 1912 due to his failing health. William died at his home on Fitzroy Terrace, Thorngate in 1930, aged 80. William and Clara Chambers are buried in the North Road Cemetery, Nailsworth.


Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

Sources:


'Advertising', South Australian Register, (27 August 1877), p. 2

'Advertising', The Advertiser, (5 July 1937), p. 12.

Ancestry.com. Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

'ASSIGNMENT.', Evening Journal, (25 September 1872), p. 2.

'BIG CITY PROPERTY TO BE AUCTIONED', Advertiser and Register, 20 June 1931, p. 10.

'Death Of Mr W. Chambers, Pioneer Brewer', The Register News-Pictorial, (24 May 1930), p. 22.

Donovan, Marsden & Stark, City of Adelaide Heritage Survey 1982, Adelaide City Archives.

'Family Notices', Evening Journal, (20 November 1895), p. 2.

'FIRE IN ADELAIDE.', Recorder, (22 November 1926), p. 4.

'OBITUARY', The Advertiser, (24 May 1930), p. 17.

Roberts, Mick, Early taverns of South Australia, Time Gents, (21 August 2017), https://timegents.com/2017/08/21/early-taverns-of-south-australia/

'THE LATE MR. F. J. BLADES.', The Express and Telegraph, (18 November 1895), p. 3.

'The odd spot', News, (15 August 1952), p. 3.

The Fiery Furnace of Melvilles

The Fiery Furnace of Melville's

A loud bang filled the night air, followed by piercing screams, and onto the street a man and a woman ran, covered in flames, flailing wildly, trying to extinguish the fire, and free themselves from the pain of being burned alive. The flames overpowered them, exhausting them of breath, the will to fight, and their very lives.

Sounds like something from a horror novel right?

This is, in fact, the very scene that shook King William Street on March 1920 out the front of the “Collins & Greens” restaurant, just next to the Crown and Sceptre Hotel.

It was an evening just like any other in what was known locally as “Melville's Fish Shop” and the owners and staff were in the back Kitchen cleaning poultry for the evening dinners and tomorrows meals.

Mr Leslie Collins was dressing fowls in the kitchen with his brother Norman. The brothers worked well together, Leslie plucked the feathers, and Norman singed off the stubs.

Also inside the shop was Mr Green (co-owner), Normans Wife and 3-year-old boy Norman Junior, Miss Robinson (waitress) and young Miss Joyce Beckett who had come into the city to see her Aunt Martha.

At 5:45pm, Norman was doing his “burning off”, which required him to use a pan full of methylated spirits. Holding the bird carcass above the flame, thinking the flame had died off, he poured more methylated spirits into the pan, which exploded in a massive ball of fire. The explosion was so great that it knocked the soot in the chimney of the adjoining “Messengers Ham Shop” into the pots and pans on their stove.

Confused by the explosion and the now roaring fire, which had set alight their clothing, the occupants tried to escape the now burning kitchen, only five of them made it outside. Leslie Collins and little Norman Collins were either trapped or overcome by the smoke and flames and perished in the fire.

 Norman Snr. and Martha Collins ran through the dining room out onto the street, where a crowd who had heard the explosion and ensuing screams, had begun to gather.
 As soon as the crowd saw the burning people they tried their best to put out their burning clothing, whilst others rushed to the rear of the shop to see if they could help.

Matters became more dire for the Collins and Green family when it was discovered the Police Ambulance was stationed out on Port Road, and nowhere near the city. Miss Robinson’s clothing was alight, and she had slipped into unconsciousness, Norman was seriously burnt on his back and his hands and Mr Green and Joyce Beckett seemed to escape fairly unharmed, and indeed, Ms Beckett was well enough that she did not need to be transported to the hospital

Ms Robinson died at the hospital around midnight that night, and Mrs Martha Collins a few hours later. Norman Collins Snr. lasted a few more days, but he too eventually succumbed to his injuries and passed away.

Norman Collins, whilst in hospital, informed a local constable that the entire situation was his fault, he had poured the methylated spirits, thinking there was no flame, and it had caught fire and exploded – he was heard running from the burning shop at the time screaming “I did it!, I did it! - I was the cause of it!” - It is thought, the weight of the situation played a part in his death.

The explosion and fire had been so intense that it took mere minutes for it to destroy the entire buildings kitchen, and partially damage the dining room, before the fire brigade managed to control it – from the road people reported being able to see two bodies lying in the kitchen...

Many of the fireman were distraught at the sight of the bodies in the kitchen and for the young 6 month old baby of Norman and Mrs Collins, who was now orphaned and without his brother....

Next week we visit King William Street again for a story from the neighbouring shop mentioned in this story “Messengers Ham Shop”....

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au