Warialda Hotels

Written by Graham Wilson

Commercial Hotel, Warialda

Tenders were called for erection of seven rooms at Mrs Lanagan’s ‘Commercial Hotel’ in 1899.  The Warialda Standard 9 September announced that Mrs Lanagan was remodelling the hotel and in the following year, a private residence was built for the hotel.

In January 1905 Mrs C. Lanagan took over management of the hotel from Mr J.S. Cavanagh who had been there for three years.  J.  Lanagan offered the hotel for sale in July 1906.  H.D. Ross was given a send off from the hotel in April 1912 and in July D. Roohan took the hotel over. On Tuesday morning 4 November 1913, a major fire occurred at the hotel.  In all seven bedrooms, the parlour and billiard room were destroyed.

Early in January 1914, Mr George took over the hotel from D. Roohan. W.M. Goodwin, architect of Inverell called tenders in January 1914 for construction of a second storey at the hotel, was recently taken over by W.P. George.  W.R. Slack was the successful tenderer. George applied successfully to the Licensing Court for permission to occupy the recently erected portion of the hotel in July 1914.

The license was transferred from George to Thomas Marshall in February 1915.  A year later, Marshall disposed of his interest in the hotel to E. Dawson in October 1916. Then in October 1917, the Warialda Standard announced that Dawson had disposed of the business to J. Guyer of Ashford.

Agent John Lanagan of Warialda advertised the freehold of the hotel for private sale in September 1921.  Situated on half an acre of land, the two storey building was constructed of wood and fibro cement containing 13 bedrooms, bar, 4 parlours, sitting room, dining room, 3 bathrooms, pantry, kitchen, laundry and a number of out buildings.  The price for the freehold was ₤2000.

In October 1922 J. Guyer left the hotel and moved to the ‘Royal Hotel’, Bingara.  Four weeks later W. Burke sold the hotel to E.A. Wright. H.J. Shutes was licensee of the hotel in February 1925.  The Nott Bros. Company of Armidale was ‘entrusted with the erection of additions and alterations to the hotel’ in July 1928.  In May 1929 council approved the replacement by F. Nott of the front wooden wall of the hotel by a brick one. At the same time, Shutes engaged the builder to construct two shops near to the hotel.  The original plans showed verandah posts but the Council only approved construction of the shops with cantilevers.  The shops were completed with the posts and despite threats of court action the posts were not removed.  The matter came before the Court and in February 1932 the owner was convicted and was given an opportunity to comply with Council’s order.

In July 1930 the licensing magistrate gave a ruling on a dispute involving the licenses of the ‘Commercial’ and ‘Royal’ Hotels.  Inspector Singleton had raised objections in court on the renewal of the license by C. O’Keefe for the ‘Commercial Hotel’.  It was reported that F.E. Jennings, licensee of the ‘Royal Hotel’ had a beneficial interest in the ‘Commercial’.  It was also claimed that a company North Western Hotels Ltd controlled the business of the ‘Commercial’.  The magistrate ruled that F.E. Jennings had no commercial interest and that the North Western Hotels was a distinct legal persona.  However he acknowledged that the Inspector had grounds for some suspicions.

Bob Jennings was licensee of the hotel in July 1935.  In May 1938 it was reported that the hotel, which has been owned by Northern Hotels Ltd. with Mrs Jennings as a licensee, has been sold.  L.E. Maher of the ‘Royal Hotel’ purchased it.   In September Yallaroi Council granted approval to North West Hotels Ltd. for internal renovations costing ₤500.  Tenders were called that month and the improvements were completed by March 1939.  The Warialda Standard described them as ‘a vast improvement in the accommodation, a nicely furnished lounge being a feature’.

In July 1939 the license was transferred from Elsie Jennings to Mabel Florence Turkington and in February 1940, the license was transferred from Alf Hawkins to Cyril L. Gobetti.  In November the license was gain transferred to G.A. (Dick) Maher, son of Mr Les Maher.

Royal Hotel, Warialda

Originally a timber single storey building with a shingled roof, the publican was M. Horne by April 1888.  W.H. Crane conducted the Warialda Livery and Bait Stables at the Royal Hotel by January 1898.  Two storey additions to be undertaken by builder M. Audet were announced in October 1899. In December 1900, James Russell completed new building work including three bedrooms, a large dining room, pantry and storeroom.  The Warialda Standard also announced that arrangements are being made for the construction of a storeroom below the hotel in February 1903.

J.F. O’Connor of Inverell called tenders in September 1910 for additions to the hotel for J.F. O’Brien.  In August 1914 the license of the hotel was transferred from O’Brien to W. Scutt of Gravesend.

In the early hours of Thursday 7 June 1917, the hotel was partly demolished by fire.  At that stage, W.H. Crane of Rockdale owned the hotel and he had left Warialda in March 1912. The portion burnt included the bar, sample room, four parlours and the servant’s quarters- six rooms behind the sample room.  The licensee Mr Scutt, had his stock and furniture insured with the Australian Fire Insurance Company. A few days later, Mr Scutt opened a bar in the eastern end of the premises with the assistance of Mr McGee.  It was in July that the hotel was sold to W. Scutt

The work of erecting the new building on the site of the portion burnt down commenced in January 1918 under contractor, Warialda builder W.R. Slack.  William Scutt was proprietor in March 1921 and in December 1924 he applied for the transfer of the license from E. Oldham.  Difficulties had arisen over the transfer because Scutt had a residence and property of 5000 acres in Queensland.  Under terms of the licence, he had to relinquish one or the other.

The stables of the ‘Royal Hotel’ were destroyed by fire in March 1922.

William Marshall was proprietor in August 1925.  He relinquished business at the hotel and moved with his family to Woollahra in April 1928.  In December 1927 J.F. O’Connor called tenders for erection of extensive additions to the hotel.  Builders were asked to communicate with himself or Mr Maher of the ‘Tattersalls Hotel’.  When L.E. Maher took over the hotel he renovated and enlarged the premises.  In July the additional structure and alterations undertaken by Nott Bros. of Armidale were nearing completion.  By the work accommodation was improved and the new bar was relocated on the eastern side of the building.

The license of the hotel was transferred from F. Jennings to Cecil Baden Brown, a pharmacist of Inverell, in May 1933.  In January 1937 the license was transferred from A.J. Curtis to W.H. Craig.  F. Jennings of Imperial Avenue, Bondi sold the freehold of the hotel to G. Smith of Hastings Parade, Bondi for ₤12,600 in May 1938.  That month, the license was transferred from W.H. Craig to G.A.P. Smith and then to L.E. Maher.  In June Yallaroi Council granted approval for construction of a garage at the rear of the hotel.  D. Cross was licensee in May 1943 and July 1946.

The early owners of the ‘Royal Hotel, have been researched by Mervyn Williamson for the periods 1878-1895;1900 and 1926-1953.

Photograph left: Royal Hotel Warialda, Blake & Wilson 2006

Tattersalls Hotel, Warialda

By 1901 Charles McGee was licensee of the ‘Tattersall’s Hotel’ situated on the site of the later Pyrke’s Store.  Later his son Reginald H. McGee became owner of the hotel for many years but in the mid 1920s moved to Glen Innes to purchase the Central Hotel.

In July 1910 J.F. O’Connor of Inverell called tenders for the construction of a new brick laundry, four brick closets, and other improvements.

The hotel was offered for sale in February 1919.  At That stage, it had buildings and paddock attached including the hotel, cottages, stores, sample room, cottage in Geddes Street and Atkin’s Hill paddock allotments.  In March 1921 R.H. McGee advertised the ‘Tattersalls Hotel’ Café with seventeen bedrooms available for the public.  McGee transferred the hotel from G.F. Brereton, of Tallima, South Coast in November 1922.

L.H. Maher was proprietor of the hotel in October 1925 and in February 1928, the hotel was being transformed into a store with a brick front.  The Licence Reduction Board had revoked the licence and then C.S. Pyrke converted the hotel building into a residence and general store.

In June 1943, an old building was demolished.  Purchased by W. Mott, it had been occupied by the late Peter Hanson for some years and included portion of the ‘Tattersalls Hotel’, which extended past the Standard Office on one side and Wallace’s pharmacy on the other.

White Swan Hotel, Warialda

The first publican of the ‘White Swan Hotel’ was Bill Fletcher.  In March 1905, J. Armstrong was proprietor of the ‘White Swan Hotel’ and John Cavanagh had taken over the hotelkeeper’s licence by 1908.  In October 1909 W. Fletcher sold the hotel to J. Campbell. In December 1911 proprietor J.B. Campbell entered into a contract with builders E.B. Slack and J. Robertson for the erection of a new dining room, pantry, kitchen and five additional bedrooms at the hotel. The Warialda Standard reported that eight new rooms had been completed at the rear of the hotel in May 1912.

The hotel was transferred from J. Campbell to S. Kerrigan late in December 1920. S.G. Kerrigan announced that he had taken over as proprietor from J.B. Campbell in June 1921 and was still proprietor in June 1924.  One theory on the hotel’s location is that the hotel stood on the south side of the Bligh Creek culvert where Sid Handcock lived in 1980