British
In Queen's Road. - Albion Tavern (W.H. McConnell) and American Inn (Anthony Rodrick) Britannia Tavern (Giovanni Gachi), Crown and Anchor Tavern (David Simeon), Commercial Inn (John Cockerell), Fortune of War (George E. Jones), London Tavern (John Benson), Phoenix Inn (John Meredith), Pilot Boat Inn. (Henry Willson), Prince of Wales (Robert Hemming), Victoria Tavern (Henry Hart), and Beehive Tavern (George McQuin).
In D'Aguilar Street.
Rainbow Inn (Matthew da Costa).
In Queen's Road with entrance also in Lower Bazaar. Tavern (George Mills).
50x
Neptune
The Beehive Inn deserves a paragraph to itself, for it had a sign that in the Forties flaunted a piece of verse, as follows:-
"Within this hive, we're all alive, and pleasant is our honey:
If you are dry, step in and try, we sell(s) for ready money."
How eloquent! It is not difficult to imagine the swarms of "bees" entering the hive, or the free flowing of the so-called "honey": yet free in one sense only, as "we sells for ready money" indicates the old equivalent of our present-day "terms strictly cash", and probably not without reason!
The old chronicle shows, however, that there was a distinction rigidly drawn between the abovementioned establishments and the genuine hotels. There was only one hotel in the Colony in 1847, and that was the British Hotel, managed by Mr. Henry Winiberg, in Queen's Road. We read of this place:
"The British Hotel, the only one in Victoria, is conducted on a small but respectable scale: from the limited patronage accorded to such an establishment, owing to the small influx of visitors who do not take up their quarters at the Club-house (the Hongkong Club), prices are necessarily high; board and lodging for a single person without wines or beer is $2 per diem: good billiard table, for keeping which an annual license of $101 is paid to Government, is also attached to the hotel."
No doubt two and a half dollars a day was considerable in those early years.
The photograph published on this page to-day shows the old Hongkong Hotel as it appeared up to the time of the fire on New Year's Day, 1926, when it was burned out. The site is now occupied by Gloucester Building. The most interesting feature about this old photograph, which was taken in 1904, is the absence of Alexandra Building and Union Building, which were about to be erected. The corner site of Alexandra Building can be clearly seen, with Chater Road already constructed on the newly reclaimed land. (This reclamation was carried out between 1890 and 1902). Prior to that, Des Voeux Road ran along the waterfront and the hotel faced what was then the central Praya.
To the left of the hotel may be seen the old offices of Blackhead and Co. (see 16-8-33). The history of the hotel and the old premises might here be given.
The Hotel Company, intended to operate the Hongkong Hotel, was formed in January, 1867, and is reported as having "commenced operations" in July of that year. The company's new building, to be known thereafter as the Hongkong Hotel, was opened on February 29, 1868. It is shown in the photograph reproduced here.
8.
British
In Queen's Road. - Albion Tavern (W.H. McConnell) and American Inn (Anthony Rodrick) Britannia Tavern (Giovanni Gachi), Crown and Anchor Tavern (David Simeon), Commercial Inn (John Cockerell), Fortune of War (George E. Jones), London Tavern (John Benson),, Phoenix Inn (John Meredith), Pilot Boat Inn. (Henry Willson), Prince of Wales (Robert Hemming), Victoria Tavern (Henry Hart), and Beehive Tavern (George McQuin).
In D'Aguilar Street.
Rainbow Inn (Matthew da Costa).
In Queen's Road with entrance also in Lower Bazaar. Tavern (George Mills).
50x
Neptune
The Beehive Inn deserves a paragraph to itself, for it had a sign that in the Forties flaunted a piece of verse, as follows:-
"Within this hive, we're all alive, and pleasant is our honey:
If you are dry, step in and try, we sell(s) for ready money."
How eloquent! It is not difficult to imagine the swarms of "bees" entering the hive, or the free flowing of the so-called "honey": yet free in one sense only, as "we sells for ready money" indicates the old equivalent of our present-day "terms strictly cash", and probably not without reason!
The old chronicle shows, however, that there was a distinction rigidly drawn between the abovementioned establishments and the genuine hotels. There was only one hotel in the Colony in 1847, and that was the British Hotel, managed by Mr. Henry Winiberg, in Queen's Road. We read of this place:
"The British Hotel, the only one in Victoria, is conducted on a small but respectable scale: from the limited patronage accorded to such an establishment, owing to the small influx of visitors who do not take up their quarters at the Club. house (the Hongkong Club), prices are necessarily high; board and lodging for a single person without wines or beer is $2 per diem: good billiard table, for keeping which an annual' license of $101 is paid to Government, is also attached to the hotel."
a
No doubt two and a half dollars a day was considerable in those early years.
The photograph published on this page to-day shows the old Hongkong Hotel as it appeared up to the time of the fire on New Year's Day, 1926, when it was burned out. The site is now occupied by Gloucester Building. The most interesting feature about this old photograph, which was taken in 1904, is the absence of Alexandra Building and Union Building, which were about to be erected. The corner site of Alexandra Building can be clearly seen, with Chater Road already constructed on the newly reclaimed land. (This reclamation was carried out between 1890 and 1902). Prior to that, Des Voeux Road ran along the waterfront and the hotel faced what was then the central Praya.
To the left of the hotel may be seen the old offices of Blackhead and Co. (see 16-8-33). The history of the hotel and the old premises might here be given.
The Hotel Company, intended to operate the Hongkong Hotel, was formed in January, 1867, and is reported as having "commenced operations" in July of that year. The company's new building, to be known thereafter as the hongkong Hotel, was opened on February 29, 1868. It is shown in the photograph reproduced here.
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