Nile: one hotel
Nov. 25th, 2008 04:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xenithGoing back to Nile to look at a few things, before moving onto Richmond.
The first being the old hotel.
Now, I'm told it was built in the 1850s, by Edward Ayton, but whether he was responsible for it being built or ever owned it, I don't remember and we don't really care, I'm sure. In 1860 I have it listed as being owned by the Camerons (who still own it) with Edward as the occupier.
More interesting, is that the license passed through various hands until Nov 1882 when it was transferred to a man by the name of William Eeles, although he died only five years later.
William and his wife Emily came out from Birmingham under one of the immigration schemes. There was a severe shortage of labour in VDL/Tasmania in the 1850s, due to the end of transportation and the gold rush in Victoria. And so various immigration schemes were set up to bring out ship loads of labourers and their families. Many of these families came out to join relatives who'd arrived years earlier at the government's expense. William, his wife and their young son William, came out to join his cousin. By the time they arrived in Tasmania in 1859, they had two sons, Joseph born in (on?) Bass Strait, although he died a couple of months later.
There were more children born to them as the years went on, with much rejoicing, I'm sure, and some tragedy.
The younger two daughters -- my grandmother once told me they came back from burying one to find the other had died.
After his arrival, William worked as a farmer before becoming a publican.
DEATHS
ELLES On 25th Nov at his residence, Nile Hotel, Lymington, Mr William Elles, aged 56 years. (from the Examiner, 29 Nov 1887)
After this, the license of the hotel passed to Emily, and then in 1908, to her youngest son, Albert.
The last license was issued in 1926, and the hotel was closed. When the family moved out, they appear to have done so in a hurry. My grandmother told us that they threw stuff, such as bed heads, out of the window to get rid of them. What's my grandmother's connection? She was born "in the room up there". She did point it out, but being a kid, I didn't take a lot of notice. William & Emily were her grandparents, and Albert her father. What? You thought I had this much detail available on some random innkeepers?
To the building itself, I've seen a mention that it had an adjoining skittle alley. I have no idea where that was. It was known, if not officially, as the 'Cameron Arms" and I'm told the sign had a hand or arm on it.
I might start by going around to the right, which is the reverse of the order I took the photos in.
The front part is two storeys high, but just one room deep. Then there's back part that is one storey with the skillion roof.
Not that long ago, the windows were all boarded up, but this has been removed and most of the glass is missing or broken. The photo on Dept of Environment's heritage database shows the boarded up window, and gives a view of the front that I couldn't get. The room on the bottom right with the open windows is where I'm going to start.
The front room has two external doors into it, the one on the side and the one at the front, and two internal doors.
I assume the one on the left opens into the entrance hall.
The side door has the chimney beside it. There was a shop or something in this room in more recent times.
Going down the right side, this is the next room along.
It's too dark to see the internal hall? but if I fiddle with the contrast, I get...
From the side room, a door on the right leads through to a wash room/laundry.
The back corner -- that's the wash room, behind the partly covered window.
A view of the back.
Moving in a bit closer. There's no shortage of comfrey here.
The back door.
The other back corner. It has a timber dado (and it's full of leaves.)
Same room from the other side (looking through to the back porch).
And from the outside. It's a jungle and I'm a little nervous about walking through it. Quick photos and move on.
Obviously we're on the other side of the building now, the left if you're looking at it from the front.
That room with the partly covered window is rather dark.
Graffiti above the fireplace.
The ceiling, once.
From here though, you can see through to the front room
and some of the stencils on the ceiling.
Moving through the comgrey to the front
The windows here are unbroken so I can't take photos through them.
See!
Central front door, through which we shall leave!
The first being the old hotel.
Now, I'm told it was built in the 1850s, by Edward Ayton, but whether he was responsible for it being built or ever owned it, I don't remember and we don't really care, I'm sure. In 1860 I have it listed as being owned by the Camerons (who still own it) with Edward as the occupier.
More interesting, is that the license passed through various hands until Nov 1882 when it was transferred to a man by the name of William Eeles, although he died only five years later.
William and his wife Emily came out from Birmingham under one of the immigration schemes. There was a severe shortage of labour in VDL/Tasmania in the 1850s, due to the end of transportation and the gold rush in Victoria. And so various immigration schemes were set up to bring out ship loads of labourers and their families. Many of these families came out to join relatives who'd arrived years earlier at the government's expense. William, his wife and their young son William, came out to join his cousin. By the time they arrived in Tasmania in 1859, they had two sons, Joseph born in (on?) Bass Strait, although he died a couple of months later.
There were more children born to them as the years went on, with much rejoicing, I'm sure, and some tragedy.
The younger two daughters -- my grandmother once told me they came back from burying one to find the other had died.
After his arrival, William worked as a farmer before becoming a publican.
DEATHS
ELLES On 25th Nov at his residence, Nile Hotel, Lymington, Mr William Elles, aged 56 years. (from the Examiner, 29 Nov 1887)
After this, the license of the hotel passed to Emily, and then in 1908, to her youngest son, Albert.
The last license was issued in 1926, and the hotel was closed. When the family moved out, they appear to have done so in a hurry. My grandmother told us that they threw stuff, such as bed heads, out of the window to get rid of them. What's my grandmother's connection? She was born "in the room up there". She did point it out, but being a kid, I didn't take a lot of notice. William & Emily were her grandparents, and Albert her father. What? You thought I had this much detail available on some random innkeepers?
To the building itself, I've seen a mention that it had an adjoining skittle alley. I have no idea where that was. It was known, if not officially, as the 'Cameron Arms" and I'm told the sign had a hand or arm on it.
I might start by going around to the right, which is the reverse of the order I took the photos in.
The front part is two storeys high, but just one room deep. Then there's back part that is one storey with the skillion roof.
Not that long ago, the windows were all boarded up, but this has been removed and most of the glass is missing or broken. The photo on Dept of Environment's heritage database shows the boarded up window, and gives a view of the front that I couldn't get. The room on the bottom right with the open windows is where I'm going to start.
The front room has two external doors into it, the one on the side and the one at the front, and two internal doors.
I assume the one on the left opens into the entrance hall.
The side door has the chimney beside it. There was a shop or something in this room in more recent times.
Going down the right side, this is the next room along.
It's too dark to see the internal hall? but if I fiddle with the contrast, I get...
From the side room, a door on the right leads through to a wash room/laundry.
The back corner -- that's the wash room, behind the partly covered window.
A view of the back.
Moving in a bit closer. There's no shortage of comfrey here.
The back door.
The other back corner. It has a timber dado (and it's full of leaves.)
Same room from the other side (looking through to the back porch).
And from the outside. It's a jungle and I'm a little nervous about walking through it. Quick photos and move on.
Obviously we're on the other side of the building now, the left if you're looking at it from the front.
That room with the partly covered window is rather dark.
Graffiti above the fireplace.
The ceiling, once.
From here though, you can see through to the front room
and some of the stencils on the ceiling.
Moving through the comgrey to the front
The windows here are unbroken so I can't take photos through them.
See!
Central front door, through which we shall leave!
Ayton Inn and the Nile
Date: 2012-01-26 08:46 am (UTC)Jo-Anne from King Meadows. Launceston
Re: Ayton Inn and the Nile
Date: 2012-01-26 09:10 am (UTC)Glad you like them. One I hope to take some inside. :)