![HOTEL: The Farmers Arms Hotel, 50-52 Wilson Street, about 1877, viewed looking north-east. Note the new (1876) National Bank building next door. [Source: HHS 091506 (c)].](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ben.fraser/87e5acb2-a9a4-473b-b49e-31b92c2eb846.jpg/r0_0_2031_1571_w576_h298_fmax.webp "HOTEL: The Farmers Arms Hotel, 50-52 Wilson Street, about 1877, viewed looking north-east. Note the new (1876) National Bank building next door. [Source: HHS 091506 (c)].")
The Farmers Arms Hotel and the Crown Hotel were licensed on exactly the same day, 17 December 1874. They also ended in exactly the same way, destruction by fire.
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The Farmers Arms Hotel
About 1870 Charles Bell built a house and store at 50-52 Wilson Street.
He sold liquor under the Wines, Beer and Spirits Sale Statute, 1864.
Around this time people were arriving in Horsham to select land for farming purposes.
Hotel accommodation was in high demand.
Bell enlarged his store into a small hotel and built stables, after which he applied for a publican's licence, granted on 17 December, 1874.
In 1876 the imposing, two-storey National Bank building was constructed next door, at 48 Wilson Street - a building which still stands today as a hair and beauty salon.
On October 8, 1877 Bell leased the hotel to Henry Salmon.
In the early hours of Monday, 25 March, 1878, a serious fire broke out in the hotel from an "unknown origin".
In the early hours of Monday, 25 March, 1878, a serious fire broke out in the hotel from an 'unknown origin'.
The fire brigade attended but a combination of equipment failures and very low water supplies meant the entire hotel was lost.
When it came time to look at insurance, a curious series of coincidences cropped up.
The premium had been due on Saturday, 23 March 1878.
The owner, Charles Bell, had arranged a cheque with his bank manager on Thursday, two days earlier.
However, despite the bank manager twice telling the insurance agent, the cheque was not collected.
The hotel burnt down four days later. The Farmers Arms Hotel had operated for only 31/2 years.
In late 1878 two brick shops were erected on the site by F Williams & Co, butchers.
The western shop was leased to L McIntosh, a bootmaker, and Williams used the eastern one for 38 years.
He sold both shops in 1916.
A series of butchers then used the premises until H L Mills bought it and carried out his butcher's business from the site for 22 years, from 1935 - 1957.
The site (50-52 Wilson Street) has been occupied by Lattanzio's Bootmakers and Outfitters ever since.
The Crown Hotel
William Bacon built the Crown Hotel in 1874 on the north-west corner of McPherson and Wilson Streets.
It was a long way from the town's then epicentre of Wilson/Darlot Street.
Even 34 years later, in 1908, it was described as being "too far out of town".
The hotel was licensed on December 17, 1874.
Less than two months later, on February 6, 1875, Bacon committed suicide by drinking 11/2 ounces of laudanum (an opium solution).
The hotel was sold to George Martin shortly afterwards with Charles Joseph White becoming the licensee on July 15, 1875.
Around mid-September 1878 the Crown Hotel was destroyed by fire.
On November 8, 1878 Charles White applied to the court to be allowed to carry on his business in an adjacent house.
This application was granted.
On the same day White transferred the licence to George Martin, the owner of the land.
Martin built a new hotel over the next few months and acted as licensee.
About 1882 Martin sold the hotel to the Metropolitan Building Society, which leased the hotel to John Carrick.
Carrick brought with him his mail-coach business, which serviced Horsham and Natimuk.
The coach ran four times a week and a return ticket for passengers cost twelve shillings and sixpence.
An advertisement in The Horsham Times described the hotel as being "situated on an acre of land ... and contains a bar, ten rooms, a detached kitchen, servants' room, and scullery. There is a large stable and carriage-house".
After Carrick left in 1885, a succession of people leased the hotel from the Metropolitan Building Society, Denis Brett holding it for the longest (1891-1899).
In December 1891 the licence was varied to allow for opening until 2.30am for travellers arriving on the express train from Adelaide.
The Metropolitan Building Society sold the hotel in 1902 to John McLeod who held it for a year before selling to W Peterson.
Peterson sold it in 1907 to Maximillian Puls, a well-known businessman and developer in Horsham.
On February 3, 1908 the hotel was again destroyed by fire, this time for good.
It was probably the result of servants leaving firewood too close to the range in the kitchen when they stopped work for the night.
The hotel was insured but the pay-out was only £400.
After the fire, Max Puls had to surrender the hotel licence at a hearing of the Licences Reduction Board, held in Melbourne on February 27, 1908.
This was at a time when the Temperance Movement was gaining political influence.
The Board paid Puls compensation of £115.
Puls decided to subdivide the land and build houses, which were sold at public auction on August 22, 1908.
Due to the second surge in the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Horsham Historical Society is again closed.
Requests for historical information can always be made via the research tab at our website: www.vicnet.net.au/~hhs.
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