ccl-cs-6019

New Railway Hotel

Situated at 11 Manchester Street, the New Railway Hotel was built in 1925 and designed by Luttrell Bros. It was demolished in 1990.

On the morning of 6 May 1923, a fire, possibly caused by the fusing on an electric switch, damaged the Railway Hotel situated on southern Manchester Street. By September, the architectural firm, Luttrell Bros, on behalf of Ward and Co, were advertising tenders for the construction of a new hotel building. On 17 December 1924, Andrew Pringle, who had held the license for the former hotel, applied to transfer the license to William George Ives who had purchased the new hotel. 

Known as the New Railway Hotel, it opened under the proprietorship of Ives in February 1925. Along with a bottle store, the hotel featured twenty three bedrooms and a dining room, all of which were furnished in oak. On 5 March 1926, the license was transferred from Ives to Mary Ann Gregory. 

Mary Ann retained the license until 1939 when, on 4 May, she applied to transfer the license to her son, Leo Marcus Gregory. Following this, the hotel was regularly transferred through a succession of license holders. 

On 10 December 1940, Gregory applied to transfer the license to Albert Joseph Deyell. On 17 September 1942, Deyell applied to transfer the license to Leslie Guy Marston. On 1 May 1945, Arthur Charles Young applied for the license. On 23 August 1946, Young applied to transfer the license to Robert Hunter Dickson. On 30 August 1949, Dickson applied to transfer the license to John William Lee. The license returned to Dickson when, on 13 July 1950, Lee applied to transfer it back to him. In December 1953, the license was transferred from Dickson to Robert Grigor. On 4 October 1954, Grigor applied to transfer the license to Shirley William Cunningham. On 1 June 1956, Cunningham applied to transfer the license to Herbert Stephen Righton. On 30 June 1958, Righton applied to transfer the license to Robert Arnold Wesney. In December 1959, the license was transferred from Wesney to Charles Frank Edwards. 

In December 1960, the license was transferred from Charles Frank Edwards to William Belcher. During his proprietorship, Belcher was charged with selling alcohol after hours. In December 1961, the license was transferred from Belcher to Lawrence Gabriel Howe Edwards.

In December 1965, the hotel was sold by Ballins Industries Limited. It was purchased by J. R. Martyn and M. H Banks, who formed a new company, New Railway Hotel Limited. In March 1966, the company applied for a license. By May 1967, M. H. Banks had left to operate another hotel.

In August 1968, Durham Stuart Ogilvie applied for the license to run the hotel with his wife, Janice Ogilvie. In December 1972, the Traveller’s Lounge, which could seat up to sixty patrons, was opened.

In May 1975, James Gordon Wealleans and John Lewis Weallens applied for the license. In May 1976, McQuillan Caldwell Limited, formed by John and Sue Caldwell and Maurice and Lyn McQuillan, applied for the license.

In December 1978, József Gaál applied for the license. In April 1983, Nada Gaál applied for the license.

Durham and Janice Ogilvie returned to run the hotel in September 1985. Under their proprietorship the bars were renovated, and the hotel reopened as Ogilvie’s.

The hotel was purchased by Foodstuffs in April 1990 as part of their plan to develop a supermarket complex. After subsequently auctioning off the chattels, the building was demolished.