Tattersalls Hotel, Townsville facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tattersalls Hotel |
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Tattersalls Hotel, 1998
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| Location | 87 Flinders Street, Townsville CBD, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia |
| Official name: Tattersalls Hotel | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600916 |
| Significant period | 1860s, 1890s (fabric) 1889-ongoing (historical use) |
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Tattersalls Hotel is a very old and important hotel in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. You can find it at 87 Flinders Street in the city center. Today, it's also known as Molly Malone's Irish Pub. This hotel is so special that it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. This means it's protected because of its history.
The Hotel's Story
Townsville's Early Days
The city of Townsville started in 1864. It was a port for farms and ranches in the area. John Melton Black and Robert Towns worked together. They wanted to build a port at the mouth of Ross Creek. The port officially opened in October 1865. By the end of that year, about 100 to 200 people lived there.
Townsville became a town in 1866. It grew quickly, especially after five big goldfields were found nearby. This happened within just six years.
The First Hotel
As Townsville grew, new buildings appeared. Wharves, shops, and hotels were built fast. The spot where Tattersalls Hotel now stands was perfect for a hotel. It was right across from the wharves.
In 1865, Hermann de Zoet & Company opened a boarding house there. It was called the "Townsville Boarding House." In December 1865, de Zoet got a license for the "Townsville" hotel on the same spot.
The first hotel was a simple, one-story wooden building. It had two sitting rooms and four bedrooms. It also had an awning facing both streets. In 1866, Joseph Fletcher and Bernard O'Neill bought the hotel. They sold it to Alexander Mollison in December.
Rebuilding After a Cyclone
In March 1867, Townsville was hit by its first cyclone. The storm destroyed the hotel and much of the town. Mollison quickly rebuilt the hotel in just a few weeks. He even held a "Grand Ball" to celebrate its reopening.
But rebuilding cost a lot of money. Mollison ran out of funds and died the next year. James Evans bought the place. He renamed it "Tattersall's Hotel." This name was popular for sporting clubs, especially those linked to horse racing. Evans was very involved in horse racing. At that time, Townsville's Tattersall's was only the second one in Queensland.
Expanding the Hotel
On April 11, 1868, a newspaper announced plans to add a two-story section to the hotel. This expansion was likely due to two reasons. First, new gold discoveries brought more miners to Townsville. The town needed better hotels to compete with popular ones like the Criterion and Exchange. Second, building with brick was a good idea after the cyclone.
The new section on Wickham Street had two brick buildings. The bricks had to be brought in because Townsville didn't make them yet. One building was plain. The other, next to the old wooden hotel, had a balcony. This balcony had a wooden railing and a unique wavy decoration.
Evans also added an "American Bowling Saloon." This was to attract more guests and offer fun. It replaced another bowling alley destroyed by the 1867 cyclone.
Growth and Changes
Even though Flinders Street was the main shopping area, Wickham Street was important for government offices. By the late 1860s, it had the Court, Customs House, Telegraph House, Post Office, and a Bank. In July 1869, Evans advertised that the hotel had "extensive improvements." It could now host "a much larger circle of patrons in 'first-class style'." It also had "cool" drinks and "first class stabling" for horses.
Townsville's economy kept growing in the 1870s and 1880s. Goldfields created new markets for farms. New industries like sugar cane and factories also started. The town's population grew to 1500 by 1875. New buildings and services showed Townsville's importance as a regional center and port.
Evans left Tattersall's in 1872. He went to build his new Queen's Hotel on the Strand. James McGrath became the new manager in 1874. His family, the McGraths, had a long connection with the hotel. After James died in 1878, his son Daniel McGrath took over.
A New Look for Tattersall's
In 1881, the original 1865 hotel building was taken down. A new two-story building of wood and corrugated iron was added. It connected to the brick section from 1868. This new Tattersall's was called "a handsome new structure." It had a verandah with decorative lace brackets.
In 1886, Thomas Enright took over running Tattersall's Hotel. Townsville continued to boom. Its population grew from 1500 in 1875 to 3032 in 1881. Tattersall's was in the middle of the growing town. The town's first buses started from the hotel. It remained a bus stop for almost a century.
The 1880s saw more growth. Sugar and mining industries led to new rail lines from Townsville. There were also big improvements to the harbor.
Enright continued to run the hotel. By 1895, Tattersall's was seen as a link between old and new Townsville. The hotel was very comfortable and could host fifty guests. It had a special section selling imported drinks. Enright also ran popular horse racing sweepstakes.
The 1899 Renovation
In June 1895, a path was added behind the hotel. This likely made it easier for services. It's not clear if part of the 1868 brick section was removed then. Or maybe it was damaged during Cyclone Sigma in 1896. The remaining part was changed to have a plain wall facing the street. Photos from after Cyclone Leonta in 1903 show this part separate from the main hotel. It is still the oldest identified building in Townsville.
In 1899, Enright, who was now mayor, replaced the 1881 wooden section. He built a new two-story brick building. Architects W. G Smith and sons designed it. Smith and Hansen were the builders.
The 1881 wooden section was moved down Flinders Street. It became a boarding house. With this part gone, the 1868 brick section had its balcony and roof removed. The new hotel included this section. It now had a single, long verandah and roof. When finished in 1899, it looked like one complete building.
The inside of the hotel was beautiful. It was made of silky oak and cedar wood. Gas lights lit the rooms. The courtyard was paved and looked like a garden room. Wide verandahs and decorative panels above the doors helped cool the hotel. They were designed to let breezes from the Strand flow through. The iron lace pattern on Tattersall's was also used on two other Townsville buildings. These were Matthew Rooney's House (now Yongala Lodge) and "Kardinia". The North Queensland Herald newspaper called the new Tattersall's "an architectural acquisition to Flinders Street."
Enright managed the hotel for three more years. In 1902, he passed the license to his brother-in-law, George Sullivan. In the 1930s, the hotel was called "Ramages" for a while. But it went back to "Tattersall's" after the owner left. The outside of the hotel has not changed much. Only the curved decoration on the verandah was replaced with a straight one in the 1960s. Around 1999, the hotel was renamed Molly Malone's Irish Pub. It became an Irish bar and grill.
What the Hotel Looks Like
Tattersall's Hotel is part of the Flinders Street East area. It is a two-story brick building with a smooth finish. It faces both Flinders and Wickham Streets. A wooden verandah, supported by timber posts, runs along both street sides. The verandah has a cast iron balustrade (a row of small posts). The iron lace design is quite rare.
The hotel is on a noticeable corner where Flinders and Wickham Streets meet. It's in an old part of town. Nearby are the Queensland Building, the old Bank of New South Wales, and the old Burns Philp Building.
The hotel has a single-pitched corrugated iron roof. This roof is hidden behind a parapet (a low wall along the edge). Bull-nosed awnings (curved covers), wide verandahs, and a wooden valance (a decorative border) decorate both street fronts.
The outside of the hotel has changed little. The original curved valance was replaced with a straight one in the 1960s. A small piece of the old curved design can still be seen at the angled corner of the hotel.
Up to four old doorways on the Wickham Street side have been bricked up and smoothed over. This is the 1868 section that was made part of the 1899 building.
Ground Floor
There are two bars on the Flinders and Wickham Street sides. Most of the original inside walls are covered. The walls are smooth, and the ceiling is covered. Air conditioning ducts are hidden by a lowered ceiling above the bar.
There is a cellar (underground room) under the bar area. It was filled with crushed rock about ten years ago. It had become unusable because water got in.
A wooden staircase goes up from the Flinders Street entrance. It has a well-made turned wooden baluster on one side. On the other side, against the wall, there is wood paneling up to the handrail height.
First Floor
Several guest rooms from the 1899 addition are still there. They have old enamel room numbers on their doors. Many original fanlight panels (windows above doors) and ceiling roses (decorative plaster on ceilings) are still in place.
Courtyard
Behind the building, there is an open area. This area once held part of the 1868 building. What looked like a U-shaped courtyard has since been covered. A single-story brick extension was added in the 1960s.
Why Tattersalls Hotel is Special
Tattersalls Hotel was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. This means it meets certain important standards.
A Look into Queensland's Past
Tattersall's Hotel was built in 1899. It includes an older brick part from 1868. It shows how Queensland's history unfolded. It highlights Townsville's growth as a key port and service center. This was important for the mining and farming areas around it.
The hotel is also connected to the "Tattersall's" hotel group. This group had hotels in many Queensland towns.
The hotel complex, with its 1868 and 1899 parts, shows how buildings were often rebuilt in the late 1800s. Older sections were kept and included in newer designs.
Unique Features
Tattersall's Hotel has a rare design of cast iron balustrade. This design is special to North Queensland. This design connects it to two other buildings in Townsville. These are the old Rooney's House (Yolonga Lodge) and "Kardinia."
The hotel also shows how older brick buildings were made part of newer ones in the 1800s. The 1868 sections are the oldest known structures in Townsville.
Learning from the Past
The 1868-69 additions used bricks that were brought in from elsewhere. Townsville didn't make its own bricks yet. Studying these parts can teach us more about building materials and methods used when the town was first founded.
A Great Example of an Old Hotel
Tattersall's Hotel shows what a two-story hotel from the 1800s was like. It's on a main corner. It has rooms upstairs for guests. Downstairs are public areas. It also has wide, sweeping verandahs.
Beautiful and Important
Tattersall's Hotel looks very nice. It's on a key corner where Flinders and Wickham Streets meet in Townsville. It is across from the Queensland Building, the old Bank of New South Wales, and the old Burns, Philp building. It adds to the beauty and history of the Flinders Street East and Wickham Street area.
