50 Chetwynd Street

50 Chetwynd Street

The Ayrshire Hotel [22] 1853-1869, renamed The Clare Castle 1870-1872, re­named The Ayrshire 1873-1876, renamed Rock of Cashel 1876-1884, renamed Queens Arms Hotel 1884-1904 and later demolished.

The first name.

Note that the lane running parallel to Chetwynd off Gardiner is still shown as Ayrshire Lane. This was the site of The Ayrshire Hotel, established in 1853, and one of the early hotels for new arrivals in the colony. In its early days, the Ayrshire seems to have attracted Scots among its patrons. The town of Ayr is on the Firth of Clyde in western Scotland.

The Scots connection

In September 1854, a young Scot wrote home to his father:

We went to the Ayrshire Hotel Chetwynd Street where we got one bed and that not very big and far from clean. However we managed to huddle together with the help of fleas whose name was legion) till the morning, when we got a cup of coffee, slice of bread and a bit of mutton, for which we only paid ten shillings well!

On 29^th September 1854, those interested in setting up a Presbyterian Church in North Melbourne met at The Ayrshire. The Presbyterian Church followed the ideas of the reformer Calvin and was strong in Scotland. On this occasion, the meeting room at The Ayrshire was packed with an interesting cross section of the community. Subsequently land was set aside and a notable Presbyterian Church, which continues today as a Uniting Church was built in Curzon Street.

Historic Pubs of North Melbourne by Hotham History Project.