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The first Dunsandel Hotel
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TitleThe first Dunsandel Hotel
DescriptionThere is a tired joke that while Brookside built three churches but no hotels, Dunsandel had almost worn out its first hotel before its first church was built.
As outlined elsewhere, the hotel was one of the first buildings in Dunsandel and George McBean rented it for five years, at £300 per annum. McBean had his “well conducted” alcohol licence extended in May 1873.
A few weeks later, the hotel was advertised for auction as William Lawrence was relinquishing the hotel business. The property included a soda-water factory, bakery, and a ten-stall stable, all sublet. The house contained nine bedrooms, six sitting rooms, bar, kitchen, larder, scullery, &c.
Sadly, George McBean died young and his wife, Isabella, applied for the licence in March 1874, which she was granted.
Lawrence had a second attempt to sell the hotel in May 1875 when Isabella, who had been conducting the business very well with her manager, had wanted to retire. The property did not sell and was leased. Isabella’s licence was renewed in June 1875 but she auctioned all her furniture, alcohol and horse and buggy in the same month, and the licence was transferred to Joseph Bailey.
Bailey was fined 20s+costs for refusing to accommodate a traveller one night, but kept renewing his licence, although in May 1884, Bailey advertised that he wanted to transfer the licence to Thomas Stone who had earlier run the Selwyn Hotel.
The Ellesmere Licensing Committee (ELC), in March 1885, found the licensed houses satisfactory, except the Dunsandel hotel, and that would be considered at the annual meeting. Stone’s licence was renewed in June 1886 and he continued until 1889 when “jovial, Mr Stone” secured a first-class hotel in Kaikoura and John William Cleary took over.
In March 1890, the ELC decided that the license for either the Selwyn or Dunsandel Hotels should be permanently refused at their meeting in June and the residents of Selwyn were in favour of shutting the Selwyn Hotel.
By February 1892, Cleary was at the White Horse Hotel in Christchurch and 3 months later William Reuben Cooksley had been granted the licence for Dunsandel.
Cooksley was charged and convicted for serving an underage youth in October 1893. While his licence was suspended for one month, the licence had already been transferred to Edmund Carroll, late of Dunedin, who then sued Cooksley for the loss of income and was awarded £40+costs.
By February 1895 S. Manning & Co who held the lease and sublet, were advertising to let the hotel. By May 1895 John Adam Hansmann was granted transfer of the licence but within a year he was applying to transfer the licence to Hugh McAnally .
In June 1896 'The Dunsandel Hotel was in an unsatisfactory state, and Mr Fuller, who appeared for the owners, stated that ‘the owners proposed practically to build a new hotel’.
In the same month tenders were invited to shift the disused Selwyn Hotel to Dunsandel and renovate it.
By August 1896, the first Dunsandel hotel was in pieces and being auctioned at the Dunsandel Sale Yards. The Selwyn Hotel was dragged to Dunsandel and became the second hotel (see Jack Mackie p23.)
Mike Noonan
Dunsandel Historic Society
Date13 April 2022SourceThe Ellesmere EchoLocationDunsandel
DescriptionThere is a tired joke that while Brookside built three churches but no hotels, Dunsandel had almost worn out its first hotel before its first church was built. As outlined elsewhere, the hotel was one of the first buildings in Dunsandel and George McBean rented it for five years, at £300 per annum. McBean had his “well conducted” alcohol licence extended in May 1873.
A few weeks later, the hotel was advertised for auction as William Lawrence was relinquishing the hotel business. The property included a soda-water factory, bakery, and a ten-stall stable, all sublet. The house contained nine bedrooms, six sitting rooms, bar, kitchen, larder, scullery, &c.
Sadly, George McBean died young and his wife, Isabella, applied for the licence in March 1874, which she was granted.
Lawrence had a second attempt to sell the hotel in May 1875 when Isabella, who had been conducting the business very well with her manager, had wanted to retire. The property did not sell and was leased. Isabella’s licence was renewed in June 1875 but she auctioned all her furniture, alcohol and horse and buggy in the same month, and the licence was transferred to Joseph Bailey.
Bailey was fined 20s+costs for refusing to accommodate a traveller one night, but kept renewing his licence, although in May 1884, Bailey advertised that he wanted to transfer the licence to Thomas Stone who had earlier run the Selwyn Hotel.
The Ellesmere Licensing Committee (ELC), in March 1885, found the licensed houses satisfactory, except the Dunsandel hotel, and that would be considered at the annual meeting. Stone’s licence was renewed in June 1886 and he continued until 1889 when “jovial, Mr Stone” secured a first-class hotel in Kaikoura and John William Cleary took over.
In March 1890, the ELC decided that the license for either the Selwyn or Dunsandel Hotels should be permanently refused at their meeting in June and the residents of Selwyn were in favour of shutting the Selwyn Hotel.
By February 1892, Cleary was at the White Horse Hotel in Christchurch and 3 months later William Reuben Cooksley had been granted the licence for Dunsandel.
Cooksley was charged and convicted for serving an underage youth in October 1893. While his licence was suspended for one month, the licence had already been transferred to Edmund Carroll, late of Dunedin, who then sued Cooksley for the loss of income and was awarded £40+costs.
By February 1895 S. Manning & Co who held the lease and sublet, were advertising to let the hotel. By May 1895 John Adam Hansmann was granted transfer of the licence but within a year he was applying to transfer the licence to Hugh McAnally .
In June 1896 'The Dunsandel Hotel was in an unsatisfactory state, and Mr Fuller, who appeared for the owners, stated that ‘the owners proposed practically to build a new hotel’.
In the same month tenders were invited to shift the disused Selwyn Hotel to Dunsandel and renovate it.
By August 1896, the first Dunsandel hotel was in pieces and being auctioned at the Dunsandel Sale Yards. The Selwyn Hotel was dragged to Dunsandel and became the second hotel (see Jack Mackie p23.)
Mike Noonan
Dunsandel Historic Society
Date13 April 2022SourceThe Ellesmere EchoLocationDunsandelClick on the image to add
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The first Dunsandel Hotel (13 April 2022). Selwyn Stories, accessed 15/06/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/5226