British Hotel (Ballarat)

For other British Hotels, see British Hotel.

British Hotel

c.1874, NSW State Library
History
Town	Ballarat
Street	Cnr. Sturt and Doveton Streets
Known dates	1862-1908

The British Hotel was a hotel in Ballarat, Victoria, <1862-1908>.

Site

The British Hotel was on the south-east corner of Sturt Street and Doveton Street. The hotel was mentioned in August 1862, in a newspaper report about a fatal house fire in Doveton Street.

Later photographs place it further north in Doveton Street by 1874. More research needed to find out if this was two different hotels.

History

In 1864 a boy was attacked by a cow outside the hotel:

On Saturday afternoon, a cow rushed out from the saleyards in Doveton street, and after making at several passers-by, knocked down a boy opposite the British Hotel, in Sturt street. The animal was about to repeat the attack upon the prostrate boy, and the consequences might have been very serious but at this juncture Constable John Murphy rushed up and, seizing the cow by the horns, succeeded in holding the animal until it was with some assistance driven into the yards. The constable deserves credit for the promptitude and energy he displayed.

A woman died after suffering a stroke at the hotel in November 1908:

Mrs. Emily Barber, aged 47, a resident of Port Melbourne, was taken ill in an outhouse at the British Hotel, Doveton-street north, to-day, and on a doctor being called in he advised her removal to the hospital. She was being conveyed to the institution by her husband when she expired. Mrs. Barber was on a holiday visit to Ballarat with her husband and daughter. The husband, who is an advertising agent at Port Melbourne, conveyed his wife to the morgue when he found that she was dead. A post mortem examination showed that death was due to rupture of a blood vessel on the brain. An inquest will be held on Tuesday.

The hotel license was reviewed by the Licenses Reduction Board in 1911:

BRITISH HOTEL. In connection with the British hotel Doveton street (owner and licensee, Bridget Tierney), Senior-Constable Patterson gave evidence that the place was an old two-story wooden building, with eight public bedrooms, and good furniture. The Bull and Mouth hotel was 46 yards south-east of the British.The British could be done without, as there were five or six hotels in the neighborhood. To Mr Ham (for the owner) —He was not prepared to contradict the licensee if she said she was unable to meet the demands on her premises, owing to the limited accommodation. Inspector Ryan—As a practical man, don’t you think that half the existing hotels in this neighbourhood would satisfy the wants of the public?—Perhaps that it so. Constable Hayes gave similar evidence. Mrs Tierney said she had a good general trade amongst both town and country people, and her takings during 1910 amounted to over £1300. Her accommodation was nearly always occupied. Patrick Fogarty, of Warrenheip, said the British Hotel, at which he often put up, had an extensive country connection. Timothy Foley, commission agent, said that Ballarat was depending upon the country people now; therefore the neighbourhood of the saleyards was the busiest part of the city.

The People

• In June 1862 the publican's license was granted to William Jack.
  • A night license was granted in July 1862.
  • His license was renewed in June 1863 and July 1864.
• In December 1873 and 1875 the license was granted to Laurence Burke.
• In September 1876 the license was granted to Patrick Droney.
• In December 1882, the license was granted to Thomas Costelo in lieu of transfer.
• In September 1885, E. W. Evans, was elected to the Ballarat District Licensed Victuallers' Association.
• In December 1885, Edward Evans had his license renewed after the police withdrew their objection.
• In June 1887 an application to transfer the license from Alice Evans to Patrick McCormack was refused:

The court refused to grant a transfer of the license of the British hotel, Doveton street, from Alice Evans to Patrick M‘Cormack, on the ground that the transferee was not a fit and proper person to hold a license, owing to his drinking habits.

• In September 1887 the license was transferred from Alice Evans to Bridget Tierney.
• In November 1898 the license was transferred from Nicholas Davis to Terence Magee.
• In July 1901 the license was transferred from Charles E. Murfitt to Bridget Kane.
• In May 1903 the license was transferred from Bridget Kane to John Moylan.
• In August 1905 the license was transferred from John Devlin to Bridget Tierney.
• In March 1911 the owner and licensee was Bridget Tierney.

See also

• Brophy's Hotel