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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Canterbury Provincial District]

Hotels

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Hotels.

Coker's Family Hotel (James Hat-field, proprietor). Manchester Street, Christchurch. Telephones, 478 and 677. Bankers, Bank of Australasia. This house, which is one of the leading and fashionable hotels in New Zealand, is a handsome brick and concrete building of two stories, situated in Manchester Street, within a short distance of the railway station, and within a few minutes' walk of Cathedral Square. The entrance is by a handsome porch, which leads into a beautiful, spacious passage with a smoking room, a ladies' drawing room, and the dining room—capable of accommodating 100 guests—opening from the right. To the left of the passage there are a spacious coffee room, a private sitting room, a very conveniently situated office and a writing room, which, in the busy season, is converted into a second dining room, capable of accommodating another eighty-six guests. A corridor leads from the main passage into a lovely garden, bright with choice flowers and ornamented with a fountain, which adds beauty, and promotes coolness in the hot summer weather. Handsome shady seats and summer houses are placed in the grounds, where visitors can enjoy the luxury of after-noon tea. The billiard room, supplied with a fine billiard table, is approached from the right of the main passage. At one end of this room there is a handsome bar, decorated in ivory, walnut fitting, with plate glass, and stocked with a choice selection of the highest class of wines, spirits, and cigars, for which “Coker's” has so long enjoyed a high reputation. The upstairs portion of the house is reached by a fine staircase, and is devoted to bedrooms and private sitting rooms. Numerous bathrooms for ladies and gentlemen respectively, and containing hot and cold and shower water, are conveniently placed throughout the building, which has been extended by recent additions which provide twenty-five new rooms. The rooms, which number about 100, are furnished with the greatest luxury and good taste. “Coker's” is lighted by a system of incandescent gas lighting, and all rooms are supplied with electric bells. Each main passage is furnished with a telephone, by which communication can be held with all the various parts of the hotel, six telephones being available for this purpose. Several pieces of choice oak furniture, carved by celebrated artists in their profession, and presented to the late Mr. Coker, ornament the hotel, and many valuable pictures, with a similar history, cover the walls of the main passage. Every precaution has been taken for escape in case of fire, all windows upstairs being supplied with wire ladders and canvass shoots, and six staircases leading to the ground floor give every facility for escape. Taken altogether, “Coker's can boast of being one of the finest and most up-to-date hotels in New Zealand.

Mr. James Hatfield, the Proprietor, is a native of England, and came to New Zealand in 1879 by the ship “Crusader.” For several years after his arrival he was connected with the service of the Union Steamship Company, and on leaving that was in the employment of the Canterbury Club for seven years. Having acquired possession of the Royal Hotel, Oxford Terrace, he conducted that business most successfully for five years, and in 1897 purchased “Coker's,” which he has carried on with increased prosperity. Mr. Hatfield is a Freemason of old standing, and a member of the Canterbury Lodge; and he is also a member of the Order of Druids. He is ably assisted in the domestic management of “Coker's” by Mrs Hatfield, who as a hostess is equally as popular as he himself is as a host.

The Masonic Hotel (Edmund Carroll, proprietor), Colombo and Gloucester Streets, Christchurch. This handsome hotel was recently built in brick and concrete to replace the old building so long known as Hiorns' Hotel. It is three stories in height, and is an ornament to the street architecture of Christchurch. The main entrance is from Gloucester Street, through handsome cedar and ornamental glass doors. The private bar, immediately to the right of the entrance, is accessible by self-closing doors. It is a large, handsome room, elegantly fitted with polished cedar and numerous bevelled glass mirrors, and furnished with numerous easy chairs and couches upholstered in leather. To the left of the entrance there is a smaller private bar, which is also furnished in a finished style and fitted with excellent taste. A third and public bar is situated at the eastern end of the building, with entrances from the right-of-way running from Cathedral Square to Gloucester Street. A beautiful passage, paved with handsome tiles, leads from the Colombo Street entrance and runs east and west through the building. A fine staircase leads to the upper stories. The handsome dining room, a most popular place for luncheon, is on the first floor overlooking Colombo Street, and is capable of accommodating forty guests. There are also private sitting rooms on the same floor, a ladies' drawing room, and a commercial and reading room. The second storey is devoted to bedrooms, and to bathrooms with showers and hot and cold water. The “Masonic” is furnished throughout with luxury and excellent taste. Powerful incandescent lights in handsome chandeliers are used for lighting purposes, and the house is supplied all through with electric bells. The position of the house is all that can be desired, as it is within a minute's walk of the General Post Office and other Government departments, and banks. Altogether the “Masonic” is one of the finest hotels in Christchurch, and in respect to page 308 its situation, its general appointments, and its management by a popular host and hostess.

Mr Edmund Carroll, the Proprietor, was landlord of the Terminus Hotel, which he conducted successfully for five years. He then purchased the Masonic Hotel, which he has raised to the position of one of the leading hotels in the colony. Mrs Carroll, who has had an extensive experience with hotels, superintends the general domestic arrangements and management of the house, and is a most popular hostess. Mr. Carroll is an enthusiastic bowler and a member of the Canterbury Bowling Club.

The Occidental Hotel (G. Pain proprietor), Latimer Square, Hereford Street, Christchurch. Telephone, 596. This hotel dates from the early days of Christchurch and is a very commodious house with such a reputation for comfort and convenience that it has always been extensively patronised. Its situation is one particularly to commend itself to travellers, as it is retired, faces Latimer Square, and is within one minute's walk of Cathedral Square. The house contains thirty-five rooms, including the large dining room, a commercial room, and several private sitting rooms. It is handsomely furnished throughout, and every attention is paid to the comfort and convenience of guests. Plans have now (1902) been drawn for a handsome and imposing new building in brick, to replace the present wooden structure. The new house will be a notable addition to the fine hotels in Christchurch, and an architectural ornament to its neighbourhood.

The Occidental Hotel.

The Occidental Hotel.

Mr. G. Pain, the Proprietor, is a native of Bristol England, and came to New Zealand in 1879. For years he carried on an engineering business in Rangiora, and he afterwards kept in succession the Club Hotel, Rangiora, and the Railway Hotel, Amberley. After two years' proprietorship of the Star and Garter Hotel at Waikari, he leased his present commodious and comfortable house in 1900, and his able management has greatly increased its popularity.

Tattersall's Hotel (Patrick Burke, proprietor), Cashel Street, Christchurch. Bankers, Bank of New zealand. Telephone, 214. This handsome building, which fronts Cashel Street, is of brick and concrete, and was erected in 1900. It is two stories in height, and presents an imposing appearance. The hotel is in the immediate neighbourhood of the well-known Tattersall's sale yards, and within one minute's walk of Cathedral Square and the General Post Office. The frontages of the ground floor are devoted to four shops, and the main entrance of the hotel itself is from Cashel Street. A broad passage opens from the main entrance, and leads, on the right, to numerous sitting rooms, commercial and reading rooms. The dining room, which is on the ground floor, is a large, well-proportioned apartment, capable of seating 100 guests. A fine broad stair leads to the first floor. To the front, overlooking Cashel Street, there are several private sitting rooms and the ladies' drawing room. A long, well-proportioned corridor runs at right angles to this portion, and is devoted to bedrooms, with conveniently placed bathrooms supplied with showers and hot and cold water A passage leads to the older portion of the hotel, which contains more bedrooms and bathrooms. The whole establishment is furnished throughout with excellent taste and great luxury. The extensive additions now (1902) under way will make “Tattersall's” one of the finest hotels in New Zealand. The private bar, which is a very fine apartment, is handsomely finished with cedar fittings and bevelled plate glass, and is stocked with the finest wines, spirits, and cigars. The hotel is lighted with electric light throughout, and is supplied with a complete system of electric bells. Great care has been taken to provide for escape in case of fire. Each bedroom is supplied with wire ladders, and numerous other means of easy exit are placed in several parts of the building. The hotel is one of the most popular places of resort in Christchurch, and is largely patronised by commercial men and the travelling public, besides numerous old Canterbury settlers.

Mr. Patrick Burke, the Proprietor, is a native of Ireland, and was born on New Year Day, 1854. He is the eldest son of Mr. William Burke, a large and prosperous farmer in Galway, and obtained a thorough knowledge of farming at Home. Filled with a strong desire to see other lands, he emigrated to Australia in quest of fortune. About 1870 he came to New Zealand, where his energy and thorough experience of farming led to his becoming manager of the Wantwood est te in Southland. He visited Australia in 1877, and on his return to New Zealand he was appointed manager of the Caroline station, where he remained until that property and numerous other estates were acquired by the New Zealand Agricultural Company, Limited. Mr. Burke was appointed one of the company's station managers. About 1880 Mr. Burke arrived in Christchurch, where he has since been successfully engaged in business as a hotelkeeper. He had the Victoria Hotel, opposite the old post office, for two years, and then he built and obtained a license for the Southern Cross Hotel, Lincoln Road, Addington, where he did a prosperous business for eight years. After that, for six years, Mr. Burke carried on Barrett's Hotel, at the corner of High and Manchester Streets, with great success. Then he had the Cafe de Paris for two years, after which he purchased Tattersall's Hotel, and erected the present fine building, in which he possesses one of the finest hotels in the colony. Mr. Burke is one of the largest and most successful caterers in New Zealand. He has been caterer for the Canterbury Saleyards' Company for over sixteen years, and is now, and has for many years been, caterer to the Canterbury Jockey Club. He also catered for the various New Zealand Contingents despatched from Christchurch to South Africa. In all these onerous undertakings Mr. Burke fulfils his obligations with admirable skill, effectiveness and conscientiousness. Mr. Burke has always refrained from entering into the turmoil of public life, but he has for many years been president of the Canterbury Branch of the Licensed Victuallers' Association, and devotes great attention to its welfare. Mr. Burke has been twice married; firstly, to a daughter of Mr. James Naughton, of Limerick, Ireland, and secondly, to the eldest daughter of Mr. Orton Guthrie Bradley, of Geraldine, and grand-niece of the late Rev. Mr. Bradley, of Charteris Bay. He has two sons and three daughters. His eldest son, Mr. William Joseph Burke, went as dispenser with the South Island Battalion of the Eighth Contingent, which left for service in South Africa in February, 1902.

Mr. P. Burke.

Mr. P. Burke.

The Terminus Hotel (F. W. Millward, manager), corner of the South Belt and Manchester Street, Christchurch. This fine and popular hotel is situated opposite the railway terminus, and within a short distance of the centre of the city. It is a substantial two-storey building, ornamented on the South Belt frontage with a handsome balcony, under which is the main entrance. On the right of the entrance there is a sitting room for the use of visitors, and adjoining that again there is a spacious well-furnished dining room, capable of accommodating seventy guests. The private offices and the private bar are to the left of the entrance. The bar apartment is embellished with very handsome and elaborate fittings of cedarwood and plate glass, and furnished with numerous easy chairs and couches. A fine broad staircase, branching to the right and left, leads to the upper apartments. Several handsomely furnished private sitting rooms, including a ladies' drawing room, a commercial room, and a reading room, face the railway, and open on to the balcony. The bedrooms, of which there are over thirty, are placed on the wing running north from the South Belt. A recent addition to this part of the house can, in case of fire, be divided from the main portion of the hotel by iron doors. The whole house is furnished with great taste and elegance. Separate bathrooms—hot, cold and shower—for ladies and gentlemen are so placed as to be very convenient for the guests. Every facility for escape in case of fire has been provided; the rooms are supplied with wirerope ladders, and an easy descent can be page 309 made from the front balcony. The hotel is lighted with a fine system of incandescent burners, and electric bells are most conveniently placed throughout the bunding. With an extensive connection throughout New Zealand, the “Terminus” is one of the leading hotels in Canterbury, and is frequented by large numbers of travellers and visitors to Christchurch. It is under the charge of an able manager, who knows how to promote the comfort of the guests.

Mr F. W. Millward, the Manager, was born in London, brought up to commercial life, and came to New Zealand in 1898. He gained his first knowledge of hotel-keeping with Mr. Quill, of Lancaster Park Hotel, and afterwards managed the Dunedin Refreshment Rooms for the same gentleman. Mr. Millward took over the management of the Terminus Hotel in 1902.

Warner's Hotel (Percy Herman, proprietor), Cathedral Square, Christchurch. Telephone 212. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. P.O. Box, 239. This favourite hotel has recently been erected to replace the old wooden building, which was destroyed by fire in 1900. It occupies the site of the old structure, and has two frontages of 134 feet one to Cathedral Square, and the other to Worcester Street. As a piece of architecture, “Warner's” is an ornament to Cathedral Square, a handsome addition to the city, and one of the finest hotels in New Zealand. It is in the Italian style, built of brick and stone, three stories in height, and is altogether an extremely handsome and imposing building. Light ornamental iron galleries run round the building, and the upper portions are connected with the ground floor by iron stairs at convenient distances apart, so as to give the most perfect facility to all persons entering or leaving the hotel. The main entrance is from Cathedral Square, through an ornamental porch into a large vestibule with handsome passages leading to right and left. On the left is situated the office, which is supplied with a system of telephones connected with every part of the establishment. The main dining room, which is one of the largest and handsomest in the colony, faces the main entrance, and has room for 200 guests. In the daytime this room is lighted by skylights, but at night innumerable electric lights of various colours, playing upon the rich display of silver plate and specially imported glassware on the tables, give to the whole apartment a look of extreme elegance. The dining room generally has been furnished with good taste and luxury. Tables of various sizes are so arranged that parties and families can enjoy that privacy which is all the more agreeable on account of the animation of a large dining hall. A separate room capable of seating 100 guests can be used for private dinners. Two private sitting rooms, with a handsome room for the convenience of visitors, and close to the public telephone room, are to the right of the entrance, opposite the office. One of these is the waiting room for gentlemen guests, and is furnished with roller desks each supplied with a movable electric light; and each guest has during his stay the control of the key of a desk. In the northern end of the buildings, and completely cut off from the private portions of the establishment, are the public and private bars, fitted with handsome cedar fittings and bevelled plate glass mirrors. The public bar is a large and handsome apartment furnished with numerous luxurious couches, upholstered in crimson velvet. A smaller private bar adjoins, equally well appointed, and both are equally supplied with the choice wines, liquors, and cigars, for which “Warner's' has so good a reputation. A broad passage laid down with ornamental tiles leads past the bars to a large commercial room, which is reserved for the use of commercial gentlemen and their friends. At the back, and separated by a splendid system of lavatories, is the fine billiard room, fitted with two exhibition tables. The approach to the upper stories is by a broad staircase carpeted with heavy Wilton carpet and with brass mountings. The same luxurious material covers the corridors. The ladies' drawing room, which is on the southern end of the building, is furnished with the greatest luxury and taste, and supplied by telephones connected page 310 with every portion of the house. Along the passages there are numerous private sitting rooms furnished with the same magnificence which is displayed throughout the establishment. In this connection the appointments of “Warner's” reflect the utmost credit on the taste of Mrs Herman, who selected the furnishings. The second floor is devoted solely to bedrooms, each of which is supplied with an electric reading lamp over each bed, and convertible into a table reading lamp. All the rooms are furnished with refined luxury, and each has its wardrobe, telephone, and electric bell. Bathrooms with hot, cold, and shower baths are conveniently placed throughout the building. Altogether, “Warner's” is one of the finest hotels in the Australasian colonies, as it has over 120 rooms, each of which is furnished with every modern luxury and in excellent taste. The cookery at “Warner's” is excellent, and the services of a first-class chef, with numerous qualified assistants, are constantly retained by the proprietor. One of the secondary, yet still important, advantages connected with the hotel, is that the proprietor is agent for Cobb and Co.'s Telegraph Line of Royal Mail coaches, which run through the finest scenery in New Zealand. “Warner's” has an unrivalled situation in Cathedral Square, the centre of the city, for the tram services start and end close by, and yet the hotel is so built and placed as to be unaffected by the noise of the traffic. The General Post Office is within one minute's walk of the hotel, and the New Zealand Government's Tourists' Enquiry Office adjoins “Warner's”

Jubilee Clock Tower.

Jubilee Clock Tower.

Warner's Hotel.

Warner's Hotel.

Mr. Percy Herman, the popular Proprietor of Warner's Hotel, has had experience in some of the finest hotels in the North Island. Having secured a long lease of “Warner's” he instructed Mr Maddison, one of the leading architects of Christchurch, to prepare plans for an up-to-date building, in connection with which cost was not to be considered. The result is the present “Warner's,” which adds so much to the architectural attractiveness of Cathedral Square, and reflects so much credit on the architect and the proprietor. Mr Herman is ably assisted by Mrs Herman in the domestic management of the house, and both host and hostess co-operate in making things pleasant and satisfactory for all who are visitors or guests at “Warner's.”