Hotel Site

Statement of Significance

The place is notable as an early site in the business and commercial development of the town of Woodanilling.

Physical Description

The site is immediately north of the present hotel. Problems with damp saw it
demolished during the 1960's. Trees have since grown on the site which is now the hotel beer garden. Two memories of the building (in about 1914) were provided by John Leggoe and Albert Coate.

Coate: "I well remember as a boy of six hammering away on an empty kerosene tin, while we lived in the old Coffee Palace - as it was known, formerly Woodanilling's first hotel, a single storey structure. Suddenly the top floor window of the present hotel went up and an irate voice thundered down at me to 'shut up' or I would get my head knocked off! It was the night stationmaster trying to get some sleep. I not only shut up, but shot off in a hurry to safer quarters."

Leggoe: Although there were two old stone dwellings on 'Kunmallup' we lived there only briefly at school holiday time. We lived in Woodanilling so that we children, who had just reached school age, could attend the Woodanilling school. The house we lived in was a single storey stone building adjoining the hotel in the main street right opposite the railway station. It had been the old hotel until replaced by the two-storey brick hotel, and in the dining room there was still the servery window communication with the kitchen ".

History

Elijah Bell had Woodanilling's first hotel built by Clair Stewart in 1900 on Lot 115 while the adjoining Lots 114 and 116 were taken up by Cook and Quartermaine with the view of establishing general stores. These were prime lots being opposite the railway station. Elijah Bell and his sister Sarah, lived in the hotel for a number of years before they leased
it to AS Forsyth (who had been at the Esplanade Hotel, Perth, previously), who was the licensee from 1904 to October 1907, when a Mr Mettler from Greenhills took over.
By June 1908, the original hotel was thought to be unsuitable and a license was applied for new premises to be built alongside to existing building. The old hotel looked more like a house than a hotel. At this time there were rumours that a woman was interested in building a hotel south of the station adjoining the west side of the railway line. The tougher licensing laws coming into vogue may have seen Bell's licence revoked in favour of another application if the existing hotel was not up to standard. The building became a
boarding house after the construction of the new hotel. Mrs Nelson was probably the first proprietor. (Mrs Nelson's furniture and effects were sold in June 1911 indicating her departure or death prior to this). Mrs Grover (who previously had a boarding house on Robinson Road) took over from Mrs Nelson at the 'old pub', most of her guests being railway workers, before moving to Gnowangerup where she set up another boarding house. It appears to have become a coffee shop before being used as a private residence.

Uses

Historic Themes

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