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COMMONWEALTH HOTEL
Date Opened : 1846
Date Closed : 1916
Address :
90 Rundle Street, Adelaide
History
| BOAR'S HEAD TAVERN | 1846 | 1849 |
| CORNISH MINERS' ARMS TAVERN | 1849 | 1850 |
| CORNISH ARMS TAVERN | 1850 | 1851 |
| CORNISH TAVERN | 1851 | 1853 |
| KING OF HANOVER TAVERN | 1853 | 1915 |
| COMMONWEALTH HOTEL | 1915 | 1916 |
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Hotel Photos
Publicans
| Originally established in 1846 by Thomas Kibbles, the hotel opened under the name Boar’s Head Tavern. It was a substantial establishment for its time, featuring eight bedrooms, two parlours, a billiards saloon, seven additional apartments, and large stables at the rear of the building. The hotel underwent several name changes during its early years: it became the Cornish Miners Arms Tavern in 1849, and then the Cornish Tavern in 1850. Its most well-known name was adopted in 1853, when Ludwig Uhlendorf took over and renamed it the King of Hanover Hotel. Uhlendorf passed away just a year later in 1854, and his widow, Rudolphine, later married Adolph Bartels, a German immigrant from Gilten, Hanover. Bartels had a diverse career before becoming publican of the hotel through his marriage to Rudolphine. Sadly, she passed away in 1863 due to childbirth complications. Bartels sold the hotel in 1865, later becoming Mayor of Adelaide in 1871. Bartels Road, which runs through the Parklands, is named in his honour. The outbreak of World War I marked the beginning of the end for the King of Hanover Hotel. Amid rising anti-German sentiment, the hotel was renamed the Commonwealth Hotel in an effort to reflect patriotic values. However, the name change could not save it. In 1916, the hotel was sold to a neighbouring business looking to expand. That business was John Martin & Co, which already operated to the east of the hotel. The company temporarily incorporated the hotel into its footprint before demolishing the entire group of buildings in 1923 to make way for a large, modern department store. While many mourned the closure of such a historic hotel, the modernisation of Rundle Street was generally welcomed by the broader public, signalling Adelaide’s growth into a more metropolitan city centre.  c1860 State Library [B 2104] Click here for a high resolution image |