Today was the CARA (Collingwood and Abbotsford Residents Association) Open Houses day. Some members of the Collingwood Historical Society enjoyed visiting five very different houses. The highlight for me was being able to visit one which was a former hotel and is being researched for our updated publication and website on hotels of Collingwood.
The Village Belle in Abbotsford Street, Abbotford, started out life in about 1875 with publican and grocer Jonathan Falkingham in charge and was delicensed in 1918. It had several women publicans, including Margaret Price and Nellie Hayes. However, it is likely that it was trading as a hotel before this time. In 1868 it is listed on the ratebooks as a wood hotel of six rooms, and between 1869 and 1872, though listed as a shop, it probably operated as a hotel as the occupants were publicans according to Andrew Ward and Associates.
The photograph shows the Abbotsford Street frontage of the property which is significant for retaining its original window and timber-posted verandah, a fairly unique circumstance in Collingwood but also in other municipalities where verandahs were demolished to make parking easier for the horseless carriage.
If anyone reading this blog has any memories of the Village Belle, we would love to hear from you. Please send us your comments here.
20 April 2008
CARA Open Houses
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2 comments:
Hi. Someone just forwarded this to me as we own this building. Intrigued as to date of the pic you published as it obviously predates our time here by a few years given the state of fence (now falling down).
What became of the history of the hotels? Is it available as would be interested in anything you discovered on the Village Belle.
Tks
My Great Great Grandfather, george Young was publican of the Village Belle in 1868. Is it the same building?
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