RAGLAN HOTEL

The Raglan Hotel, which was one of the earliest buildings in Melton, was originally situated at this site at the corner of Yuille and Unitt Streets, Melton. Constructed in 1855 by James Strachan, the original Hotel was a weatherboard building with brick chimneys; it also had a number of associated outbuildings including two stables and a bakehouse. Between 1861 and 1892, the Hotel was moved by a bullock team to a new location on the north side of High Street.

How is it significant?

The site of the original Raglan Hotel is of local social and historical significance.

Why is it significant?

The original site of the Lord Raglan Hotel is a heritage place of importance to its local community on the basis of its social and historical significance. In addition, it has high potential for archaeological deposits, features and artefacts to be intact below the existing carpark, and these could provide information about the early settlement of Melton.

The social heritage values embodied in the Raglan Hotel stem from its role as a meeting place for local people for a range of leisure, economic, administrative and transportation activities. It was the second hotel built in Melton, and appears to have been at the centre of life for the burgeoning community. The yards at the rear of the property were frequently used for the sale of stock, the Hotel's address was used as a contact point for land sales and tenancy agreements, and early meetings of the Melton Council and Melton Agricultural Society were held on the premises, before a permanent Shire Hall was constructed (Argus 13 September 1858; Argus 16 April 1861; Age 8 March 1861;). The Lord Raglan Hotel was also used as a changing post for horse coaches on the road from Melbourne to the Ballarat goldfields. Among the coach lines who stopped here were Watt's Royal Mail, and Hewett and Co's People's Line, who also breakfasted at the Hotel (Argus 4 January 1856).

The Raglan Hotel also has significance for its association with Raglan Cottage (HO 83), which has already been recognised as having heritage significance for its early function as a wayside stop on the route to the Ballarat goldfields and as being the only extant commercial building in Melton from this period (Moloney 2007b).

Although the Lord Raglan Hotel was only located at Yuille and Unitt Streets for a short period of time, there is still potential for archaeological deposits and features associated with this period to be present underground.

Group

Heritage Inventory Site Type

Category

Commercial