Tattersalls Hotel

The Tattersalls Hotel site, on the corner of Wickham and Flinders Streets, has a long history of hospitality, beginning with a boarding house in 1865. Following cyclone damage in 1867, the hotel was hurriedly rebuilt in timber. In 1868, a brick extension was built, comprising two, two-storey buildings on Wickham Street. The corner timber building was demolished in 1881 and replaced with a new two storey timber building. This structure was damaged in a cyclone in 1897 and in 1899 was replaced with a new brick section. This was designed by local architects W G Smith and Sons and built by Smith and Hansen. This project included the 1868 section of the hotel, which had its balcony and roof demolished to blend in with the new structure, giving a unified appearance along Wickham Street. The interior featured silky oak and cedar with an internal paved courtyard. Wide verandahs and fretwork fanlights channelled The Strand breezes through the hotel. The verandahs featured cast iron balustrade of unusual design. Similar iron lace balustrades were used on two other local properties: Matthew Rooney’s house, now Yongala Lodge, and Kardinia on Stanton Hill.