ROBYN PARKES
Charles Downie, born in Scotland in 1843, left home at 19 to seek his fortune in the colonies. He first tried his luck on the Victorian goldfields before sailing to New Zealand in 1866 to join the West Coast gold rush.
After two years he moved to Westport, but when news of a strike in Queensland reached him, he returned to Australia. With little success there, he came back to the West Coast a few months later.
In 1879, Charles settled in Murchison and quickly became part of the community.
‘By the late 1880s, he had taken over Rait’s Commercial Hotel, holding the licence until it expired in 1899.
Around 1900, Charles began building a two-storey residence and hotel, along with a store and several smaller buildings.
The hotel opened on 1 July 1902, and later that year he unveiled a newly-built hall, which became a valued addition to the township.
Excitement swept through Murchison in February 1905 when Premier Richard Seddon, visiting to open the Matakitaki bridge, enjoyed a luncheon at the hotel. Three years later, Premier Joseph Ward also visited.
Charles was a man of progress. In June 1909, the hotel was lit with acetylene gas inside and out, and in 1910 it was enlarged.
After more than 20 years in hospitality, Charles sold the hotel in June 1911 to Albert Rowland Durrant of Blenheim and retired to his farm in Murchison.
Durrant’s tenure was short. In August 1912, he sold the hotel to Thomas Fisher of Denniston and returned to his former business as a chemist.
Between 1912 and early 1913, the hotel changed hands again, with Joseph Stockton becoming the new proprietor.
Stockton planned to add a third storey, but this proved impractical. Instead, builder W. Bastin constructed an extension with about 20 new bedrooms.
In April 1914, William and Mrs Herbert Moxey took over the licence and hosted Joseph Ward on their first day.
Just three months later, Moxey was fined for permitting gambling on licensed premises.
Disaster struck when fire swept through Murchison, destroying many buildings, including Downie’s Hotel.
Determined not to lose business, Moxey set up a temporary bar in Keating’s garage. Stockton, still the owner, commissioned Andrew Miller to rebuild.
The new Downie’s Hotel was completed around June 1915, its name painted in six-foot letters on the roof.
The entrance hall featured double doors flanked by commercial and sitting rooms, and the hotel office.
The bar, measuring 22 by 25 feet, had a circular counter divided into five compartments by tinted glass partitions.
Beer syphons replaced barrels, a first for Murchison. A parlour with a fire, dining room and billiard room offered comfort and entertainment.
The kitchen boasted a servery, pantry, scullery and cook’s room, fitted with the latest Salamander range.
A detached building housed a washhouse, drying room, grocery store, butcher’s shop and spirit store. Upstairs were 24 bedrooms, a private sitting room, two toilets and two bathrooms.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Downie’s Hotel began a new chapter in Murchison’s history.
