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CRADOCK HOTEL
Date Opened : 1881
Date Closed : Current
Address :
1 Main Street, Cradock
History
| CRADOCK HOTEL | 1881 | Current |
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Hotel Photos
Publicans
| The Cradock Hotel was one of only two hotels established in the township of Cradock, the other being the Wirreanda Hotel, which was later demolished. Known locally as the “Heartbreak Hotel”, the name reflected the hardships faced by early settlers whose repeated crop failures led to the district becoming known as “Heartbreak Flats”. The hotel was built on Sections 82 and 83, land originally granted to local farmer Patrick Gillick of Wirreanda in June 1879. Ownership soon passed through several hands before being acquired by Port Augusta brewers William T. Perrers, George S. Aldridge and Theodore Bruce, proprietors of the Port Augusta Brewery. Designed by prominent Adelaide architects Bayer & Withall, construction commenced in late 1880. Ernest Bayer was a highly regarded architect and Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects whose work included several notable South Australian buildings. The Cradock Hotel was completed by April 1881, with Perrers & Co. offering the lease for sale shortly afterwards. Although a licence was expected to be granted in 1881, the earliest recorded licensee was C. Thompson in 1882. Throughout its history, the hotel remained closely associated with the brewing industry. Ownership passed through a succession of Port Augusta brewers before being acquired by the South Australian Brewing Company in 1893, the same year it purchased the Port Augusta Brewery. The South Australian Brewing Company retained ownership of the property for almost 87 years, finally relinquishing its interest in February 1980.  |