William Walker had a ‘fluid’ career in hotels
William Walker was the first proprietor of Hamilton’s Commercial Hotel when it opened in 1876. From July 11 1876 Walker ran advertisements with effusive language and his CV: “W. Walker (Formerly Providore of the P.N.Z. and A.R. M. Company’s Inter-colonial Fleet, and more recently proprietor of the Duke of Cambridge Hotel, Cambridge, and the Criterion Hotel, Te Awamutu.), having erected a splendid Hotel …” etc etc.
At that time hotels were as much about accommodation as the provision of alcohol, and proprietors were expected to provide stables and care for travellers’ horses.
The Commercial’s licence was issued to Walker on condition the stables were finished within 14 days.
As with most hotels of that time, the building was a two-storey timber-framed building clad with weatherboards.
It was designed by renowned Auckland architect Edward Mahoney. It was described as “one of the most roomy and extensive country hotels in Auckland Province … sound, solid and well finished”, made of heart kauri and with much of the wall panelling of mottled kauri.
A large and handsome dining room and private sitting room were divided by sliding panels, to create a large meeting or ball room.
Upstairs there were 26 bedrooms, some with fireplaces, and water on tap upstairs and down and even a WC.
A separate two-storey building contained the kitchen plus sleeping accommodation for the staff.
The Waikato Times’ lengthy description on July 11 1876, included: “… the fourfooted guests have not been forgotten…. with lofty and spacious stall stable with good loft overhead for the safe storage of sound provender”.
Hotels also served as meeting places, and the Commercial was no exception, a meeting of the Hamilton contingent of the Te Awamutu Cavalry Corps held there one afternoon in September 1877.
In April 1879 the dining room was the scene for a Masonic social gathering, and as well, 160 men of the TSV were accommodated there “beside the usual occupants of the hotel; Col Lyon his wife and family had private apartments as did a bridal couple”. The Volunteers slept several to a room.
Located on the corner of Victoria and Collingwood Sts, the Commercial Hotel was well-placed with regard to commercial activity – and also judicial, as Hamilton’s first purpose-built courthouse was in the adjacent property on Collingwood St and no doubt people entered the portals of each institution as need be.
In March 1878 Walker applied for transfer of the licence to WH Pearce; this was granted but the chairman of the Licensing Committee took the opportunity of remarking “that he had seen a great deal of drunkenness lately (especially on Sundays), though not knowing from which hotel the drink had been procured.
He trusted the police would caution the publicans”.
Around 1900 the plain frontages were elaborated with the addition on most of the front and side elevations of verandahs added on ground and upper storeys, with decorative brackets on the verandah posts.
The building survived until being replaced in 1938-39 by a brick and stucco concrete building, which survives today, although modified.
William Walker was a common name for hotel proprietors in the late 19th century, as a word search on the Paperspast website revealed − several by that name were running hotels all over New Zealand, so sorting out ‘our’ William Walker became a research challenge. In addition, ‘our’ Walker moved around from hotel to hotel.
In June 1873 he applied for a licence for Masonic Hotel, Cambridge, yet on November 17 1873 application was made to transfer the publican’s licence from Walker “of the Criterion Hotel, Te Awamutu, to Mr Quick Tristram” and transfer of the licence for the Duke of Cambridge Hotel to William Walker.
His licence for the Duke of Cambridge was renewed in June 1875. A year later he established Hamilton’s Commercial Hotel, stayed for only 17 months, was at the National Hotel in Cambridge in 1877-79; then in 1880 he was granted the licence for the Imperial Hotel in New Plymouth. Walker’s career seems to have been rather fluid (apologies for the pun!).
While at the National Hotel, William’s wife Caroline died, on May 31 1879 aged only 36.
Her funeral was largely attended by Cambridge settlers, farmers, and as a mark of respect the Native Land Court was adjourned and a large number of Māori took part in the funeral procession.
The Taranaki Almanac lists Walker as being the proprietor of the Imperial Hotel in 1882-5.
By December 1889 Walker had the White Hart Hotel in New Plymouth, but then in February 1891 the Taranaki Herald announced that Walker was leaving for “the Old Country”.
From there his story enters unfathomable waters; research has failed to find when and where he died; perhaps he did not return from the United Kingdom.
Note: Thanks to Kathryn Mercer, Pukeariki, for supplying research notes for Walker’s time in New Plymouth.