Charles Street

Rose & Thistle

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Charles St
NE cnr Brisbane & George Streets

1824-26 Mr Alex Stewart, Rose and Thistle
1827-31 Alexander Stewart, Rose and Thistle, Charles Street
1834 Alexander Stewart, Rose and Thistle
1835 Andrew Dinell, Rose and Thistle
1836 John Moore
1836-37 George Fenton, Brisbane & George St

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George St, with Brisbane St corner, 2016.

The Brisbane and George St location was later the Horse and Groom, then Verandah Wine Vaults for a short time, then Union Inn

On Wednesday last our worthy Magistrates, Messrs. Kenworthy, Gordon, and Simpson, went round to inspect the various public houses, and also those houses for which applications had been made to be allowed to retail spirituous liquors. At Alexander Stewart’s they found only one bed, that in which he and his wife sleep, the house is an old one, with two small front rooms, and one back room, there was not one single chair, and scarcely a table in this house, yet it was relicensed but he bows very obsequiously.
Launceston Advertiser, 28 September 1829

LA 24 November 1836
Launceston Advertiser, 24 November 1836

LA 2 November 1837
Launceston Advertiser, 2 November 1837

Caledonian Inn/Wine Vaults (2)

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Corner of Charles and York Street
1841-1851

1841 James Ferguson, newly constructed building
1842-43 James Ferguson, Caledonian Wine Vaults, Charles & York Sts
1843-45 James Johnstone, Caledonian Wine Vaults Charles and York Sts
1845-50 Matthew Monaghan, Caledonian Wine Vaults Charles and York Sts
1851 transferred license to George Smith, corner of George & York Sts

Prior to 1841, there was an existing establishment known as the Caledonian Wine Vaults on the corner of Charles and York Streets. There’s not information to indicate if Ferguson constructed a new building that replaced the older one, or having obtained a licence for a new building, transferred to the existing premises.

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The corner of Charles & York Streets adjoining the Plough Inn would be this corner.

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Turf Hotel – Plough Inn (3)

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Cnr of Charles & Patterson Streets (site of National Theatre)
Built ? (1854?)

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Location.

Photo of Charles & Paterson Streets, 1880s. Starting on the right the buildings along Charles St are Star Hotel; a two-storey shop; a gap where Paterson St crosses, then Plough Inn, a single=storey building on the corner.

There were at least three buildings licensed as the Plough Inn. William Field, one of the first hoteliers in Launceston, had a Plough Inn in Brisbane St in the 1820s. After that, until 1864, the Plough Inn was in Charles St, where it was the terminus for coaching services. After the Plough ceased operating, the name was transferred to the Turf Hotel, on the corner of Patterson & Charles St, which at the time was in the hands of Walter Harris, a previous licensee of the Charles & York property.

? -1867 Caroline Rawlings
1867-69 Walter Harris
1870-86 Thomas Wadham, Plough Inn, Charles and Patterson streets.

Annual Licensing Meeting, Launceston Examiner, 3 December 1866
Annual Licensing Meeting, Launceston Examiner, 3 December 1866

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Plough Inn (2)

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Charles St, near York St.
1830-1864

There were at least three buildings licensed as the Plough Inn. William Field, one of the first hoteliers in Launceston, had a Plough Inn in Brisbane St in the 1820s. After that, until 1864, the Plough Inn was in Charles St, where it was the terminus for coaching services. The license changed hands often, including returning to an original proprietor. One, Thomas Archer, moved to Carrick and established a hotel by the same name. After the Plough ceased operating, the name was transferred to the Turf Hotel, on the corner of Patterson & Charles St, which at the time was in the hands of Walter Harris, a previous licensee of the Charles & York property.

1830 Richard Lawson, Five Al?s, Charles Street
1831 Thomas Marriott, Plough Inn, Charles Street
1832 Thomas Marriott, Charles Street
1833 Thomas Marriott or George Lucas (no locations given)
1834 George Lucas, Plough Inn, Launceston
1835-37 James Hopkins, Plough Inn, Launceston
1838 Thomas Archer, Plough, Charles Street
1839-44 Charles Grant, Plough Inn, Charles Street
1845 Richard Lawson, Charles Sreet
1846-47 John Mills, Charles Street
1848-49 James Hann, Charles Street
1849-52 Thomas Lawson, Charles Street
1853-55 John Sullivan, Charles Street
1855 Thomas Walch
1856-57 Henry Wilton, Charles Street
1857-59 Walter Harris, Charles Street
1860 John Sullivan, Plough Inn, Charles street.
1861-2 John Sullivan, Plough Inn, Charles Street
1862-64 Daniel Lawson, Plough Inn, Charles Street
1865  W. & F. Hart, Ironmongers
1867 Turf Hotel is renamed Plough Inn

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Former W. Harts & Sons building that replaced the Plough.
Same building c.1887

Plough Inn
The Plough inn, a part of which still exists in W. Hart and Sons and the adjoining building. The Plough was the meeting place of many notable characters in the old days.
Examiner, 26 June 1931

“View of Harts building, corner of Charles Street and York Street, Launceston, Tasmania, c 1887.”, QVMAG Collection, QVM:1997:P:0399

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White Horse Inn

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Charles Street.

1826–29 Alexander Drummond
1830 Jesse Drummond
1834 John Davis, Charles Street

Mr. Alexander Drummond, a respectable innkeeper and butcher of this town, exhibited symptoms of insanity at the farm of Mr. Bostock, on Friday last, where he had been to purchase some sheep. Mr. Bostock sent a man with him and the sheep to Perth, with a letter to Mr. Hill, the publican, requesting him to watt h Mr. Drummond and see him safe to Launceston, the man however omitted to deliver the letter, or report Mr. Drummond’s behaviour, and continued his journey to Launceston. On the arrival of Mr. Drummond at Perth he met Mr M’Donald, and told him he had just seen two gentlemen fighting a duel, and requested him to go to the spot. M’Donald went with him into the bush about two miles, when poor Drummond roared out, “there they are, don’t you see them,” and commenced beating M’Donald, who held him as well as he could, and after he had thrown himself about for near au hour he became exhausted and fell down. M’Donald watched him until he thought he was asleep, and then went to the nearest hut for assistance, but on his return Mr. Drummond was not to be found, and I sincerely regret that no account has yet been heard of him. Several horsemen were employed all Saturday and Sunday in every direction, and both sides of the river have been searched without effect ; the place where Mr. M’Donald left him is called Ritchie’s bend about two miles on the other side Perth, and it is generally supposed that this unfortunate individual has thrown him self info the river.
Hobart Town Courier, 21 August 1830

RGD34-1-1 no 2322
RGD34/1/1 no. 2322 (1830)

He is buried 30th September, having been “found dead”. For the 1830-31 licensing period, the license is granted to the widow, Jesse Drummond.

Launceston Advertiser, 18 July 1833
Launceston Advertiser, 18 July 1833

The Colonist, 20 May 1834
The Colonist, 20 May 1834

The 1826 list has an entry for Alex Drummond, White Horse, St Paul’s Plains. I don’t know if there is a connection.

Salmon & Ball — Riverview

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Cnr William & Charles St, Launceston. Google Maps.
Recently demolished.

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Photo (and others below), 2016

First licensed to James Lilly 1850, as the Salmon & Ball Hotel.
Owned by James Lilly until his death in 1882, but licensed to William Wilkinson and William & Mary Doodie. When Lilly’s estate was sold, William Doodie purchased the hotel, made improvements and renamed it “River View Hotel”.

Photo, 1992


Photo, August 2018

An interesting feature of this hotel is it was built on the site of the barque Kains that was dragged ashore and converted to a warehouse. It appears on Smythe’s map of 1835, marked as a ship.

The Cains Creek was at the bottom of Charles-street, where formerly the Salmon and Ball, but now the River View Hotel, stands. It was an artificial creek, dug out to allow the ship Cairns, wrecked in Whirlpool Reach, to be brought up and secured ; she was then roofed over, like a veritable Noah’s Ark, and was for some time used as a bonding store.
The Tasmanian, 14 May 1892

An interesting feature was the bonded warehouse situated at the foot of Charles Street, where the River View Hotel stands today. Actually that warehouse comprised the barque Kaines, which was wrecked at Whirlpool Reach and afterwards condemned.It was procured by a Launceston syndicate and floated through a canal to the block of land mentioned. A roof was put over it and a doorway cut in the side, it then being used for the warehouse.
The Mercury, 5 April 1935

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