There were two short-lived Tattersall's clubs in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Australia, in the early 1900s: Melbourne Tattersall's Club, associated with bookmaker
Sol Green
Solomon Green (1 August 1868 – 11 May 1948), invariably referred to as "Sol Green", was a Melbourne bookmaker and racehorse owner and breeder. He styled himself "Leviathan of the Ring" but was also referred to as "Foots" on account of the size o ...
, and
John Wren
John Wren (3 April 1871 – 26 October 1953) was an Australian bookmaker, boxing and wrestling promoter, Irish nationalist, land speculator, newspaper owner, racecourse and racehorse owner, soldier, pro-conscriptionist and theatre owner. He b ...
's City Tattersall's Club.
Melbourne Tattersall's Club
The Melbourne Tattersall's Club was a licensed club of 2240 members with rooms in Royal Lane, off
Bourke Street
Bourke Street is one of the main streets in the Melbourne central business district and a core feature of the Hoddle Grid. It was traditionally the entertainment hub of inner-city Melbourne, and is now also a popular tourist destination and tr ...
about from the corner. It had a large room downstairs, furnished with tables,
Vienna chairs and so on, also several smaller rooms and upstairs a billiard room with two tables, smoking room, reading room and members' accommodation. The premises were rented from
Sol Green
Solomon Green (1 August 1868 – 11 May 1948), invariably referred to as "Sol Green", was a Melbourne bookmaker and racehorse owner and breeder. He styled himself "Leviathan of the Ring" but was also referred to as "Foots" on account of the size o ...
, a prominent Melbourne
bookmaker
A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds.
History
The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795.
Range of events
Bookma ...
. David Cullen was secretary from October 1903. Membership was 10s. annually. It closed January 1907 amid protracted litigation.
On 18 February 1907 the Beaufort Club was opened in the same premises with David Cullen as secretary and 95 members. An application for a licence was refused by Judge Molesworth and Inspector Graham of the Metropolitan Licensing Court, on the grounds that it bore all the hallmarks of its predecessor as a venue for betting on horse races.
[
]
City Tattersall's Club
John Wren
John Wren (3 April 1871 – 26 October 1953) was an Australian bookmaker, boxing and wrestling promoter, Irish nationalist, land speculator, newspaper owner, racecourse and racehorse owner, soldier, pro-conscriptionist and theatre owner. He b ...
founded the City Tattersall's Club at 222A–224 Bourke Street in 1903, emulating Green, his bitter rival.
It was closed down in May 1906, and six members were charged with conducting a premises for betting.
See also
*Tattersalls Club
Tattersalls Club is a heritage-listed club house at 206 Edward Street (with a second frontage on Queen Street), Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Hall and Prentice and built from 1925 to 1949. It was added to the Qu ...
in Brisbane
*City Tattersalls Club
The City Tattersalls Club is a social club located in Sydney, New South Wales. The club was formed in 1895 by a group of bookmakers disgruntled with a judge's decision on a race at Kensington, New South Wales. The club named itself after the T ...
in Sydney
*South Australian Tattersalls Club
The first Tattersall's Club in Adelaide was founded in 1879 and folded in 1886. It was revived as the South Australian Tattersalls Club in 1888 and prospered as a gentlemen's club, whose membership was chiefly composed of men who enjoyed gambling ...
in Adelaide
References
{{Reflist
Gambling in Australia
History of Melbourne
1900s in Australia
Organisations based in Melbourne
Gentlemen's clubs in Australia
Bourke Street
Horse racing in Australia