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EDINBURGH CASTLE HOTEL
Date Opened : 1837
Date Closed : Current
Address :
233 Currie Street, Adelaide
History
| GUTHRIE'S HOTEL | 1837 | 1839 |
| EDINBURGH CASTLE INN | 1839 | 1881 |
| EDINBURGH CASTLE HOTEL | 1881 | Current |
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Hotel Photos
Publicans
| Every story has a beginning, and for South Australia’s pubs that beginning is the Edinburgh Castle Hotel the state’s first licensed hotel. Its founder, George Guthrie, arrived at Nepean Bay, Kangaroo Island, aboard the Tam O’Shanter in November 1836 before moving across to Holdfast Bay later that year. While awaiting Adelaide’s survey, Guthrie is believed to have opened a makeshift pub in the sandhills of Glenelg. On 2 February 1837, Governor John Hindmarsh proclaimed an Act of Council granting the first hotel licenses in the new colony. Guthrie received South Australia’s very first license, covering both his Glenelg premises and a new site on Town Acre 127, Currie Street. By 1839, Guthrie had moved on, closing Glenelg and selling the Currie Street business to Andrew Harriott, who renamed it the Edinburgh Castle Inn. As Adelaide’s west end developed into the city’s industrial hub; breweries, foundries, stockyards, and butchers lining the streets; the Edinburgh Castle became a favourite watering hole for the workers of the district. The original inn was replaced in 1878 by the grand two-storey Victorian hotel that still stands today. For nearly 140 years, it traded continuously, proudly holding the record as South Australia’s longest-licensed hotel, until 2018, when construction of nearby student housing brought noise complaints, delivery issues, and stricter closing hours, forcing its closure. The hotel briefly reopened in 2023 after an interior revamp, but soon closed again. However, with major renovations currently underway at the Crown & Anchor Hotel, its operators have shifted their focus to the Ed Castle, reopening it as their temporary home for the next two years. Here’s hoping that once the Crown & Anchor reopens, the Edinburgh Castle Hotel continues to trade. To lose the state’s very first licensed hotel would be a true blow to South Australia’s heritage.  |