STABLES - 22 WELLINGTON STREET

STABLES ON BAPTIST CHURCH SITE, WELLINGTON STREET

In the late 1850s Henry Davy Parr took over the Royal Hotel at 22 Wellington Street (currently the Baptist Church Offices – see last week's post). 

 He is reputed to have spent some two thousand pounds developing the site, building stables in 1857, and making other improvements, and the establishment became known as “Parr's Family Hotel”.

Henry Davey Parr was a remarkable man. His obituary, published in The Examiner on 01 February 1878, is well worth reading. It omits to mention Parr's passage to Tasmania (compliments of the British government – he arrived as a convict in 1833). Apart from “publican” Parr was variously a farmer (at Westbury), veterinarian, horsebreeder and trainer, owner of the Mowbray racetrack, and proponent of a (sadly) ineffective cure for cancer!! He seems to have been well-respected and liked, renowned for his “smiling countenance.” Prior to the Royal, Parr was licensee of the Australian and Tasmanian Hotel, the Queen's Head Hotel (also in Wellingon Street), and afterwards, the Post Office Hotel, and Temperance Hotels in Paterson street.

Parr's hotels were not favoured by dedicated drinkers and were thus known as a comfortable and safe place to stay. This was particularly notable at a time when many of the residents of Wellington Street were said to be too scared to venture out after dark!

Parr continued to operate the hotel until the 1870s when it was purchased by Henry Reed who was keen to establish an evangelical mission to the people of Launceston. More next time........

THE BAPTIST CHURCH OFFICES - 22 WELLINGTON STREET

THE BAPTIST CHURCH OFFICE TODAY

This is the first of four postings about a remarkable set of buildings located at Wellington Street Launceston.

Before it became the Baptist Church Office, the building at 22 Wellington Street, between the Church and Regal Press was initially a house, but for many years after that operated as a hotel.

I haven't been able to find out who undertook the initial construction or when it occurred, but an article in the Cornwall Chronicle of September 26^th 1846 makes mention of Benjamin Hyrons building a “substantial and lasting structure” in the vicinity of Charles and Wellington street so it seems probable that he may have been responsible, especially as when the house was converted to an inn in 1851, Hyrons was granted a license to operate the business under the name of “The Royal Hotel”.

An interesting biography of Hyron, an ex-convict who established an extensive business network in early Tasmania, and whose broad interests included many inns in both the north and south of the state, as well as early transport and mail services can be found at http://innshumpagegoodegreenwell.familytreeguide.com. Benjamin Hyron's enterprises, included stagecoaches which left from the Royal Hotel immediately after steamers from Port Phillip arrived in port. He offered to deliver his passengers to Hobart within twelve hours.

In 1853, the hotel was advertised for sale, as was Hyron's brewery which was probably also located on the site. According to QVMAG's informative article about Launceston's industrial heritage, Hyron offered “the best ale in Launceston” for sixpence a quart if customers brought their own vessels.

Other proprietors followed Hyrons, but the next licensee of note was Henry Davey Parr, who developed the site further, and added the stables – the second oldest structure on the site. More about him next posting....

Note: Its been very hard to get a photo of this building without it being obscured by vehicles, even in early morning semi-darkness! Then there are telegraph poles obscuring the front, wires everywhere etc etc etc. I have had a bit of a go at doing something presentable, but fortunately the lovely Lee, who has had a long association with the Baptist Church not only provided lots of useful information to use in this series, but also some photos taken during the early days of the church, which give a much better view of the building.

AN EARLY PICTURE OF THE ORIGINAL BUILDING AND NEW CHURCH

POST OFFICE CLOCK - 68 CAMERON STREET

The clock on the Post Office celebrated its 100^th birthday in 2010. 

It was installed some 17 years after the post office, at a cost of 1300 pounds, after a campaign of public fund raising. According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, there was a real desire to have the clock manufactured in Australia but it was not economically viable to do so, and it was made by Gillett and Johnson in England. An official unveiling ceremony was conducted in July 1910, and a “toast was heartily drunk.” A plaque was provided by the building firm J & T Gunn which read: Launceston Centenary Clock and Chimes 1806 – 1906. Erected by public subscription in the reign of Kind Edward VII to commemorate the first centenary of the City of Launceston in Tasmania.”

The clock has been a landmark of Launceston ever since. I remember trips to the city when I was a child and the sound of the clock was second only to the wonders of the Myer escalators in my inventory of “the wonders of the big city.” There was some fierce debate around 2011 as to whether the clocks chimes are “too loud,” and should be silenced at night. You can read an opinion in the negative at http://tasratepayers.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/launceston-post-office-clock-to-silence_09.html. I have to confess that I don't know whether or not the clock is still keeping tourists awake at night but I can vouch for the fact it still chimes during the day – I'm the figure scurrying across Wellington Street trying to get back to work before it strikes one!!