McBride's Commercial Hotel 1886-1922
The first Commercial Hotel in Barcaldine was licensed in 1886 by Patrick McBride. His first liquor licence application in June 1886 shows that he was unmarried, had never held a licence before and that he was going to rent a building containing seven bed rooms and three sitting rooms from James Cronin of Jericho. The premises were also to have a four-stalled stable.
This suggests the building came from Jericho to Barcaldine, and it was single-storey. The building was erected by Mr G H Henderson. Mr Henderson was responsible for building many places in Barcaldine in the early days.
The original two-storey building – apparently held together with wire – was pulled down two years later in 1888 and replaced with a much sturdier and fitting two-storey establishment by builders Messrs Meacham & Leyland. On 4 July 1896 Messrs. Meacham and Leyland were back to erect a verandah across the footpath at what was being called McBride’s Hotel.
By 1897, the McBride’s had decided to reside in Sydney and agreed to lease the hotel for five years to Mr George Ellis – but not before the matter of the who the proposed leasing arrangements were with ended up in the Magistrate’s Court.
The Capricornian, 4 Sept 1897
Sam Ah Jin, a cook at the Commercial Hotel, was charged with selling opium to a Queensland aborigine named Chippendale. Mr. McCullough appeared for the prosecution. Constable Nixon deposed that he saw Chippendale go to the back door of the hotel kitchen and receive something, which he put in his pocket; he asked Chippendale if that was opium he had got and he replied ‘ Yes,’ and handed over two packets of opium; he went with the blackfellow to the kitchen, and he pointed out the defendant as the party who sold him the opium. At this stage the case was adjourned till Friday, when the aborigine was examined, and deposed that on the previous Saturday he went to the defendant to buy opium, which he sometimes got from him; he gave defendant a shilling, for which he received two packets of charcoal opium; witness, put the packets in his pocket, and shortly afterwards Constable Nixon came up and got them from him; witness was quite sure that the defendant was the man who gave him the opium; the defendant, in reply to the charge, said there was another Chinaman in the kitchen, and it was this other Chinaman who supplied the opium. The Bench found defendant guilty, and as it was a first offence, fined him £3, with £2 2s. professional costs, 3s. 6d. costs of Court, 5s. witness’s expenses, total £5 10s. 6d., in default two month’s imprisonment in Rockhampton Gaol.
The Capricornian, 15 May 1897
In the Small Debts Court on the 7th instant, before Mr. A. Lee, Police Magistrate, and Mr. B. McKay, J.P., J. L. Butler sued P. McBride for £22 5s. 6p. for commission on sale of lease, furniture, and effects of Commercial Hotel and saddlery shop adjacent. Defendant pleaded that he was never indebted, and that he never employed the pursuer. Mr. Major appeared for the accused and Mr. McCullough for the defendant. From the evidence it appeared that early in April Butler hid a conversation with the defendant, when the latter said he was prepared to sell or lease the hotel if plaintiff could find an approved buyer. Plaintiff offered the hotel to Mr. Henry Ellis, and subsequently introduced Mr. Ellis to defendant as a buyer. At defendant’s request he made out an inventory of the furniture in duplicate, one copy for Mr. Ellis and one for defendant. The sale was completed for £89l, and £5 paid by Mr. Ellis as a deposit. Henry Ellis gave confirmatory evidence of all the material points in plaintiff’s statement. The defendant denied that he had employed Butler as his agent, and stated that the sale of the hotel had been arranged between Mr. Ellis and himself. The Bench gave a verdict for £21 12s. 9d., with £2. 2s. professional costs and 5s. costs of court.
25 June 1901, Henry Ellis gave notice of his intention, at the next meeting of the licensing authority, to apply for the transfer of the license of the Commercial Hotel back to Peter McBride. The family returned and resumed business in 1904.
By 1905, the licensing Court had granted the transfer of the license of the Commercial Hotel from Mr P. McBride to Mr H. W. Webber, the then licensee of the Royal Hotel in Aramac. Mr Webber was a well-known photographer at the time and many of his images have survived. The McBride’s returned to Sydney when they leased the hotel for three years to Webber.
Billiard tournaments were played and well attended in the billiard room of the Commercial Hotel.
The Western Champion and General Advertiser for the Central-Western Districts, 18 June 1901 The billiard tournament promoted by Mr. H. Gill at the Commercial Hotel billiard room was brought to a conclusion on Saturday evening last, the 15th instant, and resulted in Dick Park’s “boy,” Bert Plumb, winning from scratch; J. Hayes, with 105 start, being second; and Dick Park, 70 behind scratch, third. A great deal of interest was centred in the tournament, and the billiard room was crowded with spectators throughout all the stages of the contest. |
The Capricornian, 20 October 1906Permission was granted to Mr. Webber of the Commercial Hotel, to charge for admission to the second stage of the billiard match between A. Kingston and B. Plumb. The first 600 up in the billiard competition was won by Kingston at Aramac last week by 68 points. The second and concluding game of 60O up will be played here, commencing with Kingston’s unfinished break, balls in play. |
1909 Fire
The hotel was burnt down in 1909 along with 18 other business premises – four hotels – Commercial, Welcome Home, Carriers’ Arms, Springsure – and 12 stores.
Mr Fred Hack, then of Longreach, was contracted to build the new hotel.
Mr McBride died before the new house was completed.
Hotel reopened for business 1910
It was opened on 10 March 1910 and Mrs McBride carried on the business until her death on 23 August 1919. Mr William McBride then took charge managing the business.
By 1921, the hotel was up for sale.
Second fire to destroy the Commerical Hotel 1921
But the hotel was then burnt down a second time in 1921, being rebuilt by William and his sister Annie McBride and reopened in September 1922. The work was carried out by Messrs. O’Brien & Co.
Description of the new Commercial Hotel 1922
The current building has survived since that time.
