COLONEL LIGHT HOTEL
| The Colonel Light Hotel has a long and varied history, having operated under numerous names since its establishment. It first opened in 1849 as the Sir Robert Peel Inn, built by George Telford and named after the former British Prime Minister. Just a year later, in 1850, Telford sold the hotel to Frederick Coppin, who renamed it the Billy Barlow Inn. In 1852, the hotel took on a new identity as the George & Dragon Inn, and by 1854, under publican John Cahill, it became the Shamrock Hotel. This name remained for 13 years until Thomas Croft renamed it the Colonel Light Hotel, in honour of Colonel William Light, the surveyor of Adelaide and namesake of Light Square, upon which the hotel stands. Over the years, the hotel’s name changed several more times: to The George Hotel in 1922, and later to the Hotel Gambier in 1936. In 1970, it was finally renamed back to the Colonel Light Hotel, a name that stuck for the next five decades. Despite experiencing difficulties in the late 2010s, the Colonel Light Hotel closed its doors in 2022. The building remains in good condition and, with relatively modest investment, could potentially be restored and reopened as a vibrant venue once again.  Hotel Building in 2025 |
 
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| SIR ROBERT PEEL INN | 1849 | 1850 |
| BILLY BARLOW INN | 1850 | 1852 |
| GEORGE AND DRAGON INN | 1852 | 1854 |
| SHAMROCK HOTEL | 1854 | 1888 |
| COLONEL LIGHT HOTEL | 1888 | 1922 |
| HOTEL GEORGE | 1922 | 1936 |
| HOTEL GAMBIER | 1936 | 1970 |
| COLONEL LIGHT HOTEL | 1970 | 2022 |
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1870
State Library [B 16004/9]
c1911
State Library [B 2153]
Click here for a high resolution image
c1927
State Library [B 3953]
1952
State Library [B 12363]
| Publican Name | Start Date | Finish Date | Hotel |
| George TELFORD | 1849 | 1850 | Sir Robert Peel Inn |
| Frederick James COPPIN | 1850 | 1850 | Billy Barlow Inn |
| Edward Hales TAYLOR | 1850 | 1851 | Billy Barlow Inn |
| Charles Edward WALSH | 1851 | 1851 | Billy Barlow Inn |
| John WHITE | 1851 | 1852 | Billy Barlow Inn |
| Henry CATCHLOVE | 1852 | 1853 | George & Dragon Inn |
| Jnr Patrick DEEHAN | 1853 | 1854 | George & Dragon Inn |
| John CAHILL | 1854 | 1859 | Shamrock Hotel |
| Thomas Mark CAHILL | 1859 | 1860 | Shamrock Hotel |
| James RIGNEY | 1860 | 1863 | Shamrock Hotel |
| William NORTON | 1863 | 1864 | Shamrock Hotel |
| Patrick MARKHAM | 1864 | 1867 | Shamrock Hotel |
| Thomas BODDINGTON | 1867 | 1888 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Thomas CROFT | 1888 | 1889 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Patrick O’BRIEN | 1889 | 1889 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| William Daniel CARTER | 1889 | 1890 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Eliza CARTER | 1890 | 1890 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| William Daniel CARTER | 1890 | 1891 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Ernest Albert BEASLEY | 1891 | 1891 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Mrs Emma PIKE | 1891 | 1897 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| James W STEWART | 1897 | 1898 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Isaac JEANES | 1898 | 1899 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Edward BARKELL | 1899 | 1903 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Mrs Mary Jane BARKELL | 1903 | 1906 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| William PARKINSON | 1906 | 1907 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Mrs Rosa J BELL | 1907 | 1908 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Elizabeth MAXWELL | 1908 | 1909 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Patrick DALY | 1909 | 1913 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Mary Ann DALY | 1913 | 1913 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Mary Ann SHERLOCK | 1913 | 1913 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Mrs Susannah Alice GASH | 1913 | 1914 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Charles Newton HARE | 1914 | 1914 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| John F ABBOTT | 1914 | 1914 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Helena J DUNN | 1914 | 1915 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| James F BRISTOW | 1915 | 1916 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| James Edwin STEPHENSON | 1916 | 1916 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Mrs Myrtle Annie Viola HILLWOOD | 1916 | 1919 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Mrs Hannah JACOBS | 1919 | 1920 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Peter N J JOHNSON | 1920 | 1921 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Mrs Gertrude LANE | 1921 | 1922 | Colonel Light Hotel |
| Horace Blakeney MANN | 1922 | 1924 | Hotel George |
| Moses Edward IVESON | 1924 | 1929 | Hotel George |
| James MILLBURN | 1929 | 1932 | Hotel George |
| Emil KUHRI | 1932 | 1932 | Hotel George |
| Mrs Lilian Olive CURTIS | 1932 | 1933 | Hotel George |
| William A SANSOM | 1933 | 1934 | Hotel George |
| & Jean BROOK | 1933 | 1934 | Hotel George |
| Jean BROOK | 1934 | 1934 | Hotel George |
| Maurice COLLINS | 1934 | 1935 | Hotel George |
| Francis J KAIN | 1935 | 1936 | Hotel George |
| Mrs Ethel May SINCLAIR | 1936 | 1937 | Hotel Gambier |
| Frederick William Reid CARLYLE | 1937 | 1937 | Hotel Gambier |
| Mrs Elsie Maud Ann BERESFORD | 1937 | 1945 | Hotel Gambier |
| Mrs Gladys Alice Rose HOOPER | 1945 | 1946 | Hotel Gambier |
| Joffrey Boxer BERESFORD | 1945 | 1948 | Hotel Gambier |
| Mrs Margarita Eileen RATHMANN | 1946 | 1951 | Hotel Gambier |
| Jack Sampson TIVER | 1951 | 1952 | Hotel Gambier |