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ALMA HOTEL
Date Opened : 1856
Date Closed : Current
Address :
11 Hill Street, Willunga
History
| ALMA INN | 1856 | 1877 |
| ALMA HOTEL | 1877 | Current |
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Hotel Photos
Schurgott Collection
Publicans
| Willunga was an important stop for coach travellers heading over Willunga Hill to Encounter Bay, and by the mid-1850s there was enough traffic to support a second hotel. The Alma Hotel was built by William Toll on the eastern side of Hill Street (formerly High Street) and opened on 18 September 1856 as the Alma House or Alma Inn. The name likely reflects the Battle of Alma (1854) during the Crimean War, a common inspiration for hotel names of the period. It became known as the Alma Hotel from 1877. In 1892 the hotel was purchased by George Webb of the nearby Willunga Hotel, with the Webb family retaining ownership for the next 55 years. Originally a single-storey building, the hotel was expanded over time. A two-storey section was added to the south around 1870, and a dining room extension to the north in 1974. Some original features remain, including slate flooring and parts of the verandah. In its early years, the Alma was a substantial establishment and popular with visitors. An 1888 auction notice described a large property with over 20 rooms, including a dining room, billiard room, multiple sitting rooms, bedrooms, a cottage, and extensive stabling on several acres. The hotel grounds once included a garden and fernery, and a memorial cypress tree planted after World War I still stands at the front. Like many old hotels, the Alma has its share of local folklore. A long-standing story tells of a man who died after falling into a nearby well in 1888, with claims the site was later haunted—though there is little evidence to support the tale. The Alma has remained a prominent part of Willunga’s history, continuing to operate for over 150 years and retaining its place as one of the town’s key hotels.  |