ORIENTAL HOTEL
| Most South Australians have likely walked past this building countless times without realising it was once home to one of Adelaide’s most popular hotels. The Oriental Hotel began its life as the Suffolk Inn, built in 1840 by William Sayers. Sayers departed shortly after, with Edward Gregory taking over as publican for several years. Between 1842 and 1843, the hotel was briefly renamed the Saracen’s Head Hotel before Wilhelm Pohlmann took over in 1847, renaming it the Hamburg Hotel. By the late 1840s, the original building had fallen into disrepair. Pohlmann was warned that he risked losing his license unless the premises were improved. Renovations were completed by mid-1849, likely including the addition of a second storey. In 1916, Herbert Walsh became the publican. With anti-German sentiment high during World War I, Walsh changed the name from the Hamburg Hotel to the Oriental Hotel, ending nearly 70 years under the former name. The aging building continued to pose challenges. After a small fire in one of the bedrooms in February 1920, Walsh decided to replace the structure entirely. A new five-storey Art Deco-style building was constructed, featuring 100 bedrooms. As Rundle Street evolved into Adelaide’s main shopping precinct, parts of the ground floor were converted into shopfronts in 1939. Herbert Walsh remained the publican for an impressive 50 years, with the Oriental Hotel closing in 1966. Fortunately, the building still stands today and has been renamed the Walsh Buildings in his honour.  The Oriental Hotel site in 2018 |
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| SUFFOLK INN | 1840 | 1842 |
| THE SARACEN'S HEAD HOTEL | 1842 | 1843 |
| SUFFOLK INN | 1843 | 1847 |
| HAMBURG HOTEL | 1847 | 1915 |
| ORIENTAL HOTEL | 1915 | 1966 |
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1923
State Library [B 1203]
c1940
State Library [B 9808]
1964
State Library [B 15320]
Click here for a high resolution image
5.001.H088.0010
 5.001.H088.0020 |
 5.001.H088.0030 |
| Publican Name | Start Date | Finish Date | Hotel |
| William Robert SAYERS | 1840 | 1840 | Suffolk Inn |
| Edward GREGORY | 1840 | 1842 | Suffolk Inn |
| William Joseph SAYERS | 1842 | 1846 | Suffolk Inn |
| Wilhelm POHLMANN | 1846 | 1853 | Hamburg Hotel |
| Heinrich KOPKE | 1853 | 1858 | Hamburg Hotel |
| Heinrich Wilhelm WEDEMEYER | 1858 | 1867 | Hamburg Hotel |
| William Davies HODGKINS | 1867 | 1869 | Hamburg Hotel |
| Henry James TREW | 1869 | 1872 | Hamburg Hotel |
| George FISCHER | 1872 | 1873 | Hamburg Hotel |
| Thomas O’LEARY | 1873 | 1877 | Hamburg Hotel |
| Cornelius O’LEARY | 1877 | 1881 | Hamburg Hotel |
| James Albert ELLERY | 1881 | 1882 | Hamburg Hotel |
| H OELMANN | 1882 | 1886 | Hamburg Hotel |
| Wilhelm POHLMANN | 1886 | 1894 | Hamburg Hotel |
| William NICHOLLS | 1894 | 1902 | Hamburg Hotel |
| Alexander P RADFORD | 1902 | 1904 | Hamburg Hotel |
| John LeMaistre Francis ROBERTS | 1904 | 1905 | Hamburg Hotel |
| Mrs Maria Ada LANGLEY | 1905 | 1906 | Hamburg Hotel |
| Thomas PLACE | 1906 | 1907 | Hamburg Hotel |
| John Henry FLANNAGAN | 1907 | 1912 | Hamburg Hotel |
| Mrs Isabella SCHROEDER | 1914 | 1915 | Hamburg Hotel |
| Herbert Richard WALSH | 1916 | 1966 | Oriental Hotel |