The Central Hotel has been a constant in Beaconsfield for almost 100 years, the site has been a hotel for 170 years, formerly the Bowmans Inn and Gippsland Hotel. A timeline of owners and licensees, 1853-1987 is as follows:
1853: Panty Gurn Gurn Run Land transferred to David Bowman by William Bowman (no relation).
1855: David took up his pre-emptive Right to 200 acres of the run, cost 200 pounds, The Hotel licence for the Hotel is dated 17 April 1855.
1856: Census, David Bowman Gipps Land Hotel, Innkeeper, leasehold, on Cardinia Creek.
1856: Meeting place for the Mornington Farmers Society.
1860: David Bowman died 6 August 1860, Hotel valued at 2000 pounds.
1861-1868: The Hotel was operated by Janet Bowman
1862: Berwick Road District Board, son Alexander Bowman foundation member, resigned 1867.
1868: 10 July, transfer to Helen Sarah Ann Gibbs 1500 pounds.
1869: Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh stayed at the Hotel; 2 extra rooms were built and paid for by the government.
1869: 24 November, transfer to Charles Souter 1200 pounds.
1879: A Norman, Licensee.
1880: Gippsland Hotel for sale, passed in at 1800 pounds.
1880: Clearing Sale Auctions conducted at Hotel for local farms.
1881: Edward Henry Key, Licensee.
1882-1915: Racecourse meetings and functions.
1882-1884: Mary Ann Key (Souter) Gippsland Hotel, Licensee.
1885-1891: Mrs George Gissing Licensee, refurbished.
1886: Pigeon racing meetings.
1887: Magisterial Inquiry into the death of George Brown Jnr, body stored there until the funeral (Inveresk, Berwick) (Cricket played on adjoining racecourse).
1890: 28 August. George Gissing died.
1893-1900: John Vail Cougle, Licensee, died suddenly 8 January 1901 age 77.
1904: 21 January. Janet Bowman died.
1907-1911: Mrs Catherine White, Owner and Licensee, charged with trafficking in liquor during prohibited hours.
1912: Frederick Umhauer, Licensee Gippsland Hotel.
1913: Transfer of Licensee, 3 September Mr Frederick Umbauer to Arthur Robert Bragg.
1914: Gippsland Hotel with 43 acres sold by Mrs Catherine White to Mrs Emily Bragg, 2 July, 3000
pounds, Emily had intentions to modify. The Hotel was advertised with a Billiard room, Good Stabling and Motor vehicles were offered for hire.
1914: 24 December, Gippsland Hotel now named the Central Hotel.
1915: 19 August Mrs Emily Bragg was granted License of the Central Hotel as Mr Arthur Robert
Bragg had joined WW1.
1915: Albert Birchinall Steele, publican died 14 July.
1915: 11 November Mrs Albert Birchinall (Sarah) Steele has obtained lease of Bragg’s Central Hotel.
1916: 7 December. Sarah Steele, Licensee.
1916-1917: Beaconsfield Sports Club Meetings.
1919: Transfer of Licensee, Clarrie Alberta May Steele (executrix of the late Sarah Steele, who died 16 January), to Edith Grace Rainford.
1919: “Mr John Alfred Peake, of the Druids Hotel, South Melbourne, has purchased the Central Hotel, Beaconsfield, from Mrs Emily Bragg, and intends to renovate the premises. The transaction also includes the racecourse paddock”. In October Jane Prentice became Licensee.
1920: 2 December, Mrs Alice Cecelia Minogue purchased Central Hotel (clearing Sale cancelled).
1922: Charles Stewart Turnley, from Sydney “commenced Hotel keeping at the Central Hotel, Beaconsfield, of which a lease was purchased for the modest sum of 600 pounds” (The Licensing records do not reflect that Turnley did operate the hotel).
1922: 21 February, license transfer, Jane Prentice to Eric Albert Stone. In July, John Culpin becomes Licensee.
1923: In May, Lucy Dickinson becomes the Licensee.
1925: In March, Norman Parslow becomes Licensee.
1926: In October, Sidney Stella Smith becomes Licensee, one room is described as the Music Room.
1927-1931: 16 July 1927, William and Joanna Ethel Gough, Licensee (Phone No 1).
(opened by 5 April 1928, auction advertised)
1935: 19 March, Gough transfers License to Vernon Webb of St Kilda.
1937: 14 September transfer of License from Vernon
Webb to Henry Joseph Sharp.
1938: 2 February, transfer of License from Henry Joseph Sharp to Harry Ellis and John Thomas Nicholls
1937-1968: During this time the Hotel had wedding receptions and breakfasts.
1941: 21 October, transfer of License from Harry Ellis and John Thomas Nicholls to Linda Blanche
Budge.
1941-1968: George Thomas David Howison Budge and Linda Blanche (Lawrence) Budge owners.
1944: 20 January Central Hotel saved from Bushfire. In November Licensee is Annie Elizabeth Heathcote.
1947-1949: 3 November Licence transferred from Linda Blanche Budge to Walter Martin and Myrtle Irene Coloe.
1951: In November, Licensee is William McTaggart Traill Campbell.
1953: The License is transferred to George Edgar Budge and Wallace Charles Budge.
1958: George Edgar “Ted” Budge and Joan Irene Budge are now trading as “GE & JI Budge”.
1976: In February the License is transferred to Ronald Frederick and Margaret Thelma Spinks.
1981: Cardinia Investments, Robert Bruce Donaldson, Licensee.
1987: The Hotel sold for $1.64 million and in December B & G Pollard, Richard Graham Pollard is operating as Licensee.
By Penny Harris Jennings
