Commercial Hotel probably at Orwell Creek, near Ahaura

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DescriptionHere's an unlabelled family photo. The only clue here is that the building in the middle is “Commercial Hotel”.
Map^[1]ContributorGeorge Pollard

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Location (city or town)Orwell CreekLandmark (Place)Commercial HotelEventCommercial Hotel probably at Orwell Creek, near Ahaura

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Date Created1st October 2024CommentsGeorge Pollard writes: Here's an unlabelled family photo. The only clue here is that the building in the middle is “Commercial Hotel”.
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I suspect that this is Orwell Creek which would make this the Commercial Hotel owned by John Gilmore where the Orwell Creek fire started in 1880. This seems to be confirmed by the photo here where it looks like the building at the far left end of the street: https://westcoast.recollectcms.com/nodes/view/8708
There is another clearer copy of that photo on Malcolm N Robyn Curtis's website: https://ahauralodge.com/photo-gallery.php
In that case this might be an early photo, since the Gilmore Hotel opened in 1876 (https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/new.../GRA18761123.2.10...) and burned down in Jan 8, 1880 (https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/news.../GRA18800109.2.5...). He later opened the Granville Hotel at Orwell Creek in 1882 (https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/.../GRA18820511.2.13.1...).

There were also Commercial Hotels in other places (Napoleon hill, Hokitika, etc), but this one seems to fit as far as I can tell.
*****Linda McTigue
Wendy Oats this hotel might be your neighbour

Glenn Johnston
Yes quite likely Orwell Creek. Certainly not Hokitika area because I can see beech trees there as part of mixed beech-podocarp forest whereas at Hoki beech trees are naturally absent. Napoleon's where I once worked is not down in a valley like that so not there either. As for the date I wonder if it is later than 1880?

George Pollard
Glenn I think comparing with other photos which are in the same format I have (see the St Mary's Church ones I uploaded yesterday), this actually is probably taken after 1897 (when the church was built). The Commercial Hotel also looks like it might have its windows boarded up...?

Laura Mills Detlaff

This is a wonderful piece of early history - thank you for sharing. We don't often turn up 'new' pics from that era.

Kyle Webster
Peaches Eaton's account of the Orwell Creek fire in 'Women of Westland III' depicted the town going up in flames to the smell of roast beef (my Cressey ancestors, butchers in the town at the time, had a beast on the hook).

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Commercial Hotel probably at Orwell Creek, near Ahaura

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