Charles Street

Turf Hotel – Plough Inn (3)

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

Mw1_0566
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.

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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

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White Horse Inn

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Charles Street.

1826–29 Alexander Drummond
1830 Jesse Drummond
1834 John Davis

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.

WP_20160114_13_55_07_Pro
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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