ROBYN PARKES
Felix Green, previously of the White Hart Hotel, was the next publican of Richmond’s Railway Hotel.
In July 1887, an interesting event took place. Two well-dressed men, adorned with a profusion of showy jewellery, visited Thomas Martin’s Brightwater Hotel requesting some respite and refreshments.
Mrs Martin, thinking they must be well off and of some importance, provided them with a meal and drinks. Once finished, they went to leave but ‘being short of change’ promised to return to pay for their meal.
When Thomas heard this, he was furious, and on learning that the pair had been observed heading towards Nelson, he set off after them.
On arriving at Richmond, he found that these men had done the same thing at the Railway Hotel. The two publicans took chase on their horses and as they neared Saxton’s property they spied the two men who on seeing them took flight across one of Saxton’s fields.
Following a short chase, they were caught, and it was then discovered that the men were fraudsters and only had a few shillings on them. They were promptly delivered to the police.
Around the same time, a complaint was made to the Richmond Licensing Board after a gentleman escorting ladies and children to the railway station was forced to push through a throng of drunk men who had spilled out from the hotel to fight in the streets.
He stated that the scene was worthy of that of a London slum.
George Moss took over the hotel in early 1892, followed by Leon Simon in 1893 and Morgan O’Brien in 1895.
The O’Brien family suffered a nasty accident when leaving the hotel in a spring cart to attend church. Due to the harness not being put on properly, the cart collided with a post resulting in Morgan O’Brien being thrown on the ground, receiving injuries to his head and leg.
Between 1897 and 1900 the hotel had three different publicans, Thomas Newman from the Commercial Hotel in Havelock in early 1897, Charles John Mitchell in August 1898, and Mr F. T. Lipscombe around 1900.
Lipscombe refurbished and renovated the hotel including the addition of a bathroom with shower, and began to offer a new feature for the hotel of providing afternoon teas for leisure cyclists.
Lipscombe sold the business in May 1906 to Mr Carragh of Wellington, as he and his wife were taking an extended holiday to England.
In 1912, the hotel received a dim report from the inspector for the licencing board. Recommended was fixing the loose wall and ceiling papers, replacing the existing bather, repainting the kitchen, scullery and back passage walls and ceilings, cleaning and covering the septic tank and improving the sanitary conditions.
Other licensees included Alfred Hook, John O’Neil, Thomas Heath, Charles Knight, Albert Goodman, G. M. Harden, B. Dooley, L. M. Todd and Thomas Morgan, Leonard Millward, Francis Wilson, Eric Pettifer and Brian Mercer, Charlie and Bert Quintal, Bob McFadgen, Tim Trathen and Andrew Board. It is acknowledged at this point that some names may be missing.
In June 2009 the Railway Hotel was demolished.
Strategic Property Group Ltd purchased the site to build multiple food outlets. So far, several attempts have been made to run a bar and bistro on the grounds where the old hotel stood, but thus far all have failed.
