Gawler Underground - The Prince Albert Hotel

Prince Albert Hotel

109 Murray Street, Gawler

  The Prince Albert Hotel on Murray Street opened as the New Bushman Hotel on 31 March 1847 – the sign above the door states it was opened in 1859 by J. McEwan, but this is most likely the date it opened under the Prince Albert name. It retained this name until 30 March 1851, when it was renamed Young’s Hotel. The name reverted to the New Bushman Hotel in July 1852, then Smiths Hotel from 1855 until March 1859, when it was renamed The Prince Albert Inn. As of April 1869, the hotel has had the name The Prince Albert Hotel.[1] In the late 1990s, it became Fibber Magee’s until 2011.[2] The hotel name was then reverted to The Prince Albert Hotel. The hotel’s current legal trading name is the P/A Hotel.[3]

  A local legend states a tunnel used to run underneath Murray Street from the Gawler Arms Hotel into the Prince Albert Hotel, with another tunnel running up to the Hutchinson Hospital (built in 1913) on East Terrace. There is no evidence in the basement to prove either of these alleged tunnels true.

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Researched and written by Allen Tiller

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[1] Ibid.

[2] The South Australian Government Gazette, No. 53, (28 July 2011), pp. 3142.

[3] The South Australian Government Gazette, No. 123, (3 August 2000), p. 414.

Haunted Adelaide & The Haunts of Adelaide's 4th Birthday!

The Haunts of Adelaide and the “Haunted Adelaide” blog celebrates 4 years this week on the 22^nd of October 2016.

Every week I have presented a historical story, fact, ghost story, murder story or mystery from South Australia. The blog has seen dramatic rises in reader rates over the past couple of years, particularly stories about the towns of Gawler and Kapunda.

photo by James Levett Photography

In the past four years I have been approached and interviewed by various media outlets in Adelaide looking for information on murders, hauntings and other notable “dark history” content, most recently it was The Advertiser, who approached me for comment about ghosts in Rundle Mall for their “40-year anniversary special”. It is always a privilege to be able to share my research with such respected journalists and a wider audience.

 

 Two years ago I published my first book, The Haunts of Adelaide: History Mystery and the Paranormal, which can now be found in libraries across Australia, but also still available online or from Dymocks in Rundle Mall. 

Earlier this year, I spent four months working with the Adelaide City Council researching and investigating the history of ghosts and hauntings in the Council catchment, this project was incredibly popular, and a world first Government engagement of its kind!
 I would very much like to thank all the wonderful people who came in to share stories, City Library and North Adelaide Library,
 My research work from that particular project can be found on the Adelaide City Council Libraries History Hub collections under the “Allen Tiller Collection” – there is more to come soon!

 This particular project led to, what has been my highlight of the year so far, being nominated for the “Emerging Historian of the Year” category in the annual History Council of South Australia’s history awards, a big thank you to Katherine Shaw for nominating myself and the Haunted Buildings in Adelaide Project”.

 The Haunted Buildings in Adelaide project has led to a new project, this time for the Port Adelaide Enfield Council, researching number of their haunted buildings for a special Halloween release!

 

 In the mean time I am working on a number of other project behind the scenes, including a follow up book to the Haunts of Adelaide, this one is taking much longer than anticipated as new research avenues have opened up to me, and through them, I am able to provide a much more concise view of the history surrounding hauntings in some of South Australia’s most notorious hauntings...this book will also feature a number of “True Stories” never before heard by the South Australian public.
If you liked my first book, I am sure you’ll enjoy this one much much more! 

It has been an enormous year for Haunted Adelaide, and The Haunts of Adelaide, hopefully I can keep the momentum going and write more interesting and entertaining blogs for you all to read and explore the alternative history of South Australia, until next time…

Happy Hauntings :)

Allen Tiller

www.allentiller.com.au

Lost Hotels - The Golden Rule

Tuesday the 9th of March 1909 was a very sad day for Adelaide's connoisseur of beer and other alcohol consumptions, with 37 Hotels across Adelaide and the broader suburbs to be closed by the Licensing Bench.
On the Bench that made such decisions (some decisions were made with very good reason) were Messrs. J Gorden, S.M. W Gilbert, W. Burford, W. Kither, T.H. Booker and W.D. Ponder M.P.
Of 413 applications for renewal of a license, in the Port Adelaide, East Torrens and Sturt districts were refused. Of these 31 were for new applications for old Hotels, and these were granted. Fifteen “Club”s obtained new licensing, and 27 renewals or new licenses for Wine were refused, plus 10 applications for renewals of Storekeeping wine licenses were refused.



The Hotels Affected were:



I. Paris Portland (T. Adams).
2. Sussex, Port Adelaide (G. Bishop).  
3. Blythwood, Mitcham (Ellen Black-ham).
4. Kensington, Kensington (Albert E.Bleechmore).
5. Australia's Pride, Port Adelaide (T. J.  Blencowe)
6. Jervois, Port Adelaide (HonoraBrady)
7.Burnside, Burnside (Annie E. Canny).
8. Unley Inn, Unley (J. C. L. Chapple).  
9. Forest Inn, Black Forest (B. J.  Conry).
10. Mafeking Hero, Hindley-street (P. M.Daly).
11. World's End, Magill (J. Dick).
12. Morphett Arms, Morphettville (J.Foody).
13. Mountain Hut, Glen Osmond (W. Forrest).
14. Berkshire, Glenelg (Emily M. Frearson).
15. Golden Rule, Pirie-street (Elizabeth  B. Frith).
16. Rising Sun. Kensington (W. J.George).
17. Vine Inn, Glen Osmond (A. M. Gibbons) .
18. Lass o' Gowrie, Port Adelaide (H.Goddard).
19. Lady MacDonnell, South-road (E.Grindell).
20. Scotch Thistle, Portland (J. Hutchison).
21. Prince's, Port Adelaide (R. Jonas).
22. Ship Inn, Port Adelaide (J. L.Joyce).
23. Royal Oak, Paddington (JamesJulian).
24. Thornton, Glanville (F. J. Martien-son).
25. Kentish Arms. Kent Town (Florence Millar).
26. Mitcham, Mitcham (R. J. Miller).
27. Duke of Wellington, Port Adelaide(Christina Parker).
28. Vintage Shades, Norwood (Alice Ryan).
29. Family Hotel, Norwood (Matilda Stephenson).
30. Brighton Inn (H. Harris).
31. British Standard, Alberton (E. J. Symonds).
32. Terminus, Glenelg (Ellen Thompson).33. Paradise-bridge, Paradise (Anna Waite).
34. Hawkestone Arms, Mitcham (J. M. Wave).
35. Kew, Kew (J. H. West).
36. Brunswick Pier, Port Adelaide (Johanna Winslet).
37. Dock, Port Adelaide (A. Kluck).

  The Golden Rule Hotel license was opposed by the police. The main call for the public-house to be taken away was from William Edward Conroy, a wood merchant who ran a business directly opposite the Golden Rule hotel in Pirie Street.
  Mr Conroy stated publicly: “The Golden Rule Hotel, which was absolutely unnecessary to the public. I have patronised all the hotels in the vicinity. I have not inspected the interiors of the other houses, and have not been in the Golden Rule twice in nine years. It was the worst conducted house in the street. I have seen six or seven licensees in the house, and they came and went like chaff before the wind.”

The building previously the Golden Rule Hotel, 29 August 1941, east corner of Pirie Street and Moger Lane. . The Hotel lost its licence in 1909 and some time after that was taken over by the Government garage next door, which occupied the entire site up until 1967, when it moved to new premises in Gilles St, Adelaide.

Richard Hanley, of Pirie Street, was quoted as saying: “I live opposite the Golden Rule, which is the scene of frequent rows. There were only four hotels in Pirie Street from King William Street to Hindmarsh-square. A highly respectable class of people live in the vicinity of the Golden Rule, and I am one of them!”
Inspector Davey, who was for closing the Hotel stated that the building was old and small. It was not needed for the accommodation of the public. He had received complaints about the hotel. In December he asked Mrs Frith to make improvements, which had since been carried out. He did not know what they had cost.

The Landlady, Mrs Elizabeth Frith had recently lost her husband, and was currently running the pub with her married sister. A the time of the closing, she had held the license for two years straight, counterpointing the earlier testimony of Mr Conroy. The Widow Firth stated to the board that she had recently spent considerable money on repairs to the building, that there had been no fights in her pub since her ownership and that the hotel was making a considerable profit through patronage and accommodation.
Patrons had even begun a petition to keep the Hotel open, but the Overseeing Bench declined to allow the petition to be used as evidence and turned it away.
The Hotel was let to Mrs Frith by the S.A. Brewing Company for 30/ per week.




So it was that Adelaide lost another of its drinking holes, and a little piece of history, that now, hopefully, will be forgotten...

© 2014 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au