Golden Fleece Hotel (formerly Old Spot) 77 Murray Street
| Place type: | Building |
|---|---|
| Address: | 77 Murray Street |
| Town or Locality: | Gawler |
The first building constructed in Gawler Town in 1839 was the Golden Fleece hotel, it was built on the site now known as 77 Murray Street, the building has undergone many changes over the years and the business been known by different names, as follows:
- Golden Fleece 30 Oct 1839 – 22 Jun 1842
- Calton’s 23 Jun 1842 – 1847
- Old Spot Inn 1848 – 1894
- Old Spot Hotel 1895 – c2013
- 2013 reopened under the original name "Golden Fleece"
Click here to see photos of 77 Murray Street and here to see photos of the hotel during and after renovations in 2013.
Click here to see photos of the 2013 redevelopment of the shops at 79-87 Murray Street (demolished August 2012), which was undertaken as part of the hotel business.
Please read the thesis by Patricia Sumerling - The Old Spot Hotel, Gawler: a development history - We also thank Bruce Harry of Bruce Harry Architects for giving their permission for this historical report to be published.
Click here to watch Tony Harnett's "History of Hotels in Gawler", as presented to the Gawler History Team 6 April 2017.
Notes on the Site & the Hotel
According to Robert Laidlaw (Bunyip 14 Mar 2021) "Gawler's Old Spot Hotel was the first building constructed in Gawler in 1839, when John Reid financed a German settler, Mr Scheibner, to build a tavern by the rutted track that was Murray Street. Originally known as the "Golden Fleece" and then "Calton's", it became the Old Spot Hotel in 1848. The "Old Spot" was the hub of Gawler, flourishing after the discovery of copper at Kapunda in 1842 and Burra in 1845. The original grog shanty was replaced by a stone building in 1855."
George E. Loyau "The Gawler Handbook" [G.E.L.] p9 "The first house erected in Gawler was the "Old Spot", in Murray-Street, almost immediately opposite Whitelaw-place, at the corner of which the Post-Office now stands.......It was first erected by Mr. Scheibener, and afterwards occupied by Mr. Tooth ; but the days of its greatest prosperity were those when it was con-ducted by Mr. Henry Calton, whose public spirit in matters connected with the township is still cherished in the remembrance of all its old inhabitants."
[G.E.L.] p15 "In 1846, when the town was only seven years old, a Lodge was opened in connection with the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, and called the Loyal Gawler Lodge. This Lodge was opened at Host Calton's, at the Old Spot....was there until 1852, when it was removed to the Globe Inn, and afterwards to the Old Bushman."
E.H.Coombe "History of Gawler" p202 Loyal Gawler Lodge of Oddfellows, Manchester Unity, was founded on May 16, 1846. It was opened upon a dispensation from the Hope Lodge......there were initiated on the first night of meeting Bros. H. Calton, G. Telford, T.G. Round, S. Pope, C.H. Bell and C.C. Crace. Five out of the six severed their connection soon afterwards.....The opening ceremony took place in a room at the back of the Old Spot Hotel. The late Mr. H.Calton was the first Treasurer...."
A.P. Harvey's book [ISBN 0 9588286 1 X] "I called it Salisbury" [a biography of John Harvey "The founder of Salisbury"] page 33 ...."Mr. Henry Calton purchased the "Old Spot Inn" at Gawler town, which then constituted of only two rooms, with stabling at the back, for use of travellers going north. After taking it over, Mr. Calton greatly extended the building, adding many gables, and I assisted with the laying of the foundation stone for the new "Old Spot Hotel". With his purchase, Mr. Calton was obliged, by the transaction, to register as a Postal Officer, which he did on the 31st of December 1842. One room of the hotel was taken as the Post Office, which served all of the northerly settlements at that time, and for the following year I became his assistant, picking up mail in Adelaide and delivering it by cart to Gawler town. The Adelaide Post Office was then situated on the corner of King William Road and North Terrace. I would pick up the mail and parcels there, then depart from Graham's "Victoria Hotel" in Hindley Street every Tuesday and Saturday at 11 o'clock, making the return trip from Gawler town every Monday and Friday. There was also seating for four passengers in the spring cart, and seat could be booked, at either Gawler town or Adelaide, for the fare of 7s 6d per person."
Page 43..."By 1844, the industrial development of the colony was making rapid progress. There were two main foundries, one in Grenfell Street owned by Mr. Wyatt.....Mr. Wyatt's foundry constructed a four horse-power marine engine for Mr. Stephen King, whose Flour Mill at Gawler stood opposite Miss Calton's Old Spot Inn."
EXTRACT FROM PAPERS WRITTEN BY ELISA SARAH MAHONY IN 23/1/1898 (nee Eliza Sarah Reid m. David Mahony in 1849 - Reg. Adelaide 13/61)
- P71 "Old Spot Hotel" It stands where the original house was built by Mr Schiebner.
- P71 "By the end of 1839, the opening up of the north and bringing down of sheep and cattle from New South Wales made it too much for us to entertain, so my father [JOHN REID] induced Mr Schiebner to build, and purchased his allotment (it had been Suttons) to enable him to do so, and that money built the original Old Spot. It took off the ordinary traffic".
- P72 "Old Spot Hotel (where one room served as bar, bedroom etc) and one tent."
- "The original Old Spot house in Gawler was built by Schiebner. ... my father induced Mr Shiebner to build, purchasing his allotment (it had been Mr Sutton's) to enable him to do so, that money building the original Old Spot."[1]
- "The Old Spot, how I remember it, pine rooms for bedrooms out the back."[1]
COOMBE P11 "There is Schiebner Terrace to commemorate the first publican. Afterwards he became a school master, failed, and became insolvent,1841."
- A photo taken in 1882 out the front of the Old Spot shows it was still a one storey building at that time (the photo can be dated as it has a banner for SA Governor Sir W F D Jervois who according to Coombe (1910) visited Gawler on 9 Nov 1882 to open the Exhibition Building at Recreation Centre).[2]
Licensees of the Hotel
The following information has been gathered with permission from “Hotels and Publicans in South Australia” by J.L. (Bob) Hoad Adelaide 1986 ISBN 0 86745 002 9 and ISBN 0 9595446 2 3
- Known as Golden Fleece 30.10.1839 – 22.6.1842
- Known as Calton’s 23.6.1842 – 1847
- Known as Old Spot Inn 1848 – 1894
- Known as Old Spot Hotel 1895 – 2013 when returned to original name "Golden Fleece"
30.10.1839 – 1.4.1841 Schiebener David
1.4.1841 – 22.6.1842 Oliver K.F.
23.6.1842 – 1846 Calton S.
1846 – 1850 Calton Henry
1850 – 1851 Schmidt J.F.
1851 – 1852 Pile James
1853 Wylde G.C.
1854 Charles G.
1854 – 1855 Wylde G.C.
1856 – 1858 Martin E.
1859 – 1860 Ireland G.
1860 – 1862 Martin E.
1863 -- ??
1864 – 1869 Young J.
1869 -- Young M.
1869 – 9.1870 Fotheringham T. and David ?
9.1870 – 1878 James John
1879 – 1890 James Richard
1891 Millard E.
1892 Millard N. Mrs.
1893 – 1894 Opie Josh. R.
1895 – 1896 Flannagan P.
1897 – 1907 Flannagan P.J.& W.H.(father and son)
1907 – 1910 Lines George
1911 Warren Wm.
1912 – 1919 Lines George
1920 – 1926 Bessen Richd.
1927 Spells (Stells ?) T. J. [Thomas J Stells]
12.1927 Ethel M Sheehan[3] [this licensee not listed in Hoad][Ethel Muriel Sheehan & husband Maurice John Sheehan went bankrupt Mar 1930][4]
1929 - 1930 Goodmund A.C. Mrs.
1931 – 10.1932 Kennedy Fanny E.
10.1932 – 5.2.1933 Aiken Robt. S.
6.2.1933 – 14.5.1939 Sams Ethel Daisy Mrs.
15.5.1939 – 23.5.1954 Liddy Donald (and Connie Vi?)
24.5.1954 – 11.3.1964 Mathews Joseph Wilfred & Betty Dawn
12.3.1964 – 22.1.1973 Liddy Vincent John & Phinola Mary
23.1.1973 – 29.1.1973 Hillier Douglas & Ethel
30.1.1973 – 4.12.1978 Liddy Vincent John & Phinola Mary
5.12.1978 - 17.10.1981 Johnston Joan Mavis
18.10.1981 – 1984 - ? Wagner Wilfred Gordon & Betty Irene
Related Articles
- Old Spot Hotel 77 Murray Street
- 79-87 Murray Street - Then and Now
- Hotels & Inns in Gawler since 1839
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Eliza Sarah Mahony (date unknown) "The Story of Gawler's First Pioneer", source unknown. [Eliza Sarah Mahony, nee Eliza Sarah Reid, was John Reid's daughter, she married David Mahony in 1849.] https://www.flickr.com/photos/gawler_history/14035956616
- ↑ Coombe E H (1910) History of Gawler 1837-1908
- ↑ Hotel Licenses - Many Applications Granted (The News 6 Dec 1927) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/129184426
- ↑ Publican's Bankruptcy (The Advertiser 26 Mar 1930) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/73798337
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