The Pier Hotel was a public inn in Glenelg in the British colony, then Australian state, of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

History

The foundation stone for "Moseley's Pier Hotel", as it was originally named, was laid by the Mayor, R. B. Colley, on 7 June 1856. Among official guests were Sir

John Morphett Sir John Morphett (4 May 1809 – 7 November 1892) was a South Australian pioneer, landowner and politician. His younger brother George Morphett was also an early settler in South Australia. Early life Morphett was born in London, t ...

. The Pier Hotel opened Christmas Day 1856. It was a three-storey affair, to a design by architect John William Holmes, and built by Henry J. Moseley, who then operated the hotel as proprietor and publican. Only the first floor had a balcony; it is likely that the second floor was for the publican's private use. Its naming was not only premature, as the pier (or "jetty" in SA parlance) was not opened until 1859, but also prescient, as its placement was a matter for debate until 1857. The first cargo unloaded at the new jetty was 200 tons of coal off the barque ''Anna'' for Henry Moseley on 7 November 1865. His son Henry Moseley, jun. was for a time landlord of the "Pier", but moved on when he declared insolvency despite a great deal of financial assistance from his father. Patronage was boosted when the Adelaide and Glenelg Railway, which became the

Glenelg tram line The Glenelg tram line is a tram/light rail line in Adelaide. Apart from a short street-running section in Glenelg, the line has its own reservation, with minimal interference from road traffic. The service is free in the city centre and al ...

, went into service on 2 August 1873, bringing in holidaymakers and customers This article gives the "railway" a much earlier date (1871), clearly wrong. who had leisure time and spending money but did not own a horse and carriage. In 1876 the building was enlarged by another ten rooms and additional bathing facilities added. The

Holdfast Bay railway line The Holdfast Bay railway line was a railway in western Adelaide, built in 1880 to compete with the Adelaide, Glenelg & Suburban Railway Company. The line started at the Adelaide railway station, on the northern edge of the central business dis ...

gave a further boost to tourism in the area from 1880. At some stage Francis J. Botting (1819–1906), owner of the Haussen & Co. brewery, acquired the Pier Hotel. He was also owner of the Family Hotel, Glenelg. Owners of freehold 1910 F. J. Botting trading as Haussen & Co.

Some licensees

*Francis Fenden *William Baldwin 1859–1860 *M. Thomas –1870 *C. Burton 1870– *F Stanley (for H Moseley jun) –1870 *H. J. Moseley 1870– *Samuel Heath 1872–1873 *(Frederick William) George Fischer 1873–1874. He was sent to jail for trading while insolvent, but released on a technicality and fled to Melbourne. He was an accomplished baritone and pianist, father of Minna Fischer and Otto Fischer Sobell. *In December 1878 the publican's licence was transferred from H. J. Moseley to J. Hamlin. :John Hamlin ( – 30 May 1888) arrived in South Australia around 1858 and was a Glenelg councillor for several years before taking over the Pier Hotel in 1878. :He was killed driving his carriage down the Bay Road when he attempted to make it across a

level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...

(now an overway, the Keswick Bridge) ahead of the Nairne train. He and the horse were the only casualties; his wife (Emma Helen Hamlin née Lawrence) and daughter received minor injuries and the only male passenger (G. F. H. Daniel) had jumped out when he saw the danger. *Boorn Ross –1889 *Charles Henry Ferors (died 1927) 1889– *G. Lawrence –1903 *R. H. Northway 1903– *E. H. Beard? *John H. Arthur 1909 *Ada A. A. Ward 1910 *John Smith 1892–1895, previously had Burra Hotel, found insolvent 1895. *George Boswell Howard insolvent 1906 *A. E. Hastwell 1906– *W. Tasker and Zolezzi: proposed rebuilding the hotel but nothing eventuated. Tasker then took Old Colonist Hotel, Parade, Norwood

The "Pier" rebuilt and demolished

In 1908 the owner, Mrs Botting, supplied the Glenelg Council with plans for a proposed replacement hotel, costed at £20,000, provided that the law could be amended to allow of a Company licence. The Quorn Mercury of 7 October 1910 reported on the "WINDSOR CASTLE HOTEL, Victoria Square West, A. E. Hastwell, Proprietor, Late of Pier Hotel. Glenelg." In 1910 the Licensing Bench expressed concerns about the condition of the building, and intimated it might not be licensed the following year. Following Botting's death in 1910 ownership was restructured as The Pier Hotel (Glenelg) Proprietary, shareholder base largely consisting of his testamentaries. Demolition of the hotel began in early 1911 and over 18 months the new hotel built by architect J. Q. Bruce, contractor B. Sutherland, and reopened in November 1912. It had a frontage to the sea of , again of three storeys, the upper two having private balconies on the sea side. A rooftop garden was a feature; it had a

balustrade A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

all round. Electric lighting, fans and heaters and electric lifts were among the modern creature comforts, and boasted of "catering for only the best class of people". George Frederick Fox was appointed manager. By Feb 1919 the Government Gazette listed Henry J. Crabb as manager. Leaseholder Arthur J. Jackman, formerly of Jackman's Grand Cafe, Rundle St. (which became Balfour's) to March 1924. A "temperance permit" (a type of licence to open a licensed premises outside liquor trading hours, to sell 'non-intoxicating liquor') in 1920. The Government Gazette of 27 July 1922 lists an application for renewal with additional bar. Mr. M. P. Crowe, late of

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a city on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of South Australia. Known as Galinyala by the traditional owners, the Barngarla people, it is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, ...

, bought the leasehold from Jackman in 1924, with 18 years to run. He applied to renew his licence in 1925, as listed in the S.A. Government Gazette of Feb. 12 of that year. Demolition of the "Pier" began in 1988 and was replaced by the Ramada Grand Hotel, opened on 5 October 1990. It was renamed Stamford Grand Hotel. The name "Pier Hotel" has since been adopted for another establishment in the vicinity, founded in 2001 at the end of the

Anzac Highway Anzac Highway is an main arterial road heading southwest from the city of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, to the beachside suburb of Glenelg. Originally named the Bay Road, it mostly follows the track made by the pioneer James Cham ...

. After its demolition, it was listed on the now-defunct

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heri ...

References

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