With the decidedly
European-sounding Alphonse Beauvais as publican in 1854, this hotel began life
as the European Hotel, a simple timber building.New licensee Thomas C Stanborough in 1855
brought a new name and probably a new cultural identity - the British Family
Hotel.
While it originally advertised itself as a family
inn, by 1858 publican Alfred Tollit abbreviated its name to the British Hotel.
The same year he tendered for extensions, perhaps in response to the
construction of two grand hotels, the Terminus, also on Fitzroy Street, and the New
Bath on the Esplanade. The British Hotel was renamed the VictoriaHotel in 1863 under JJ
Miller.
The Argus reported
an incident at the VictoriaHotel on 15 February 1872. Alfred Cooper rented the
hotel from landlord Mr Mason for £100.0s.0d a year and sublet it to Oriel Lee
for £2.6s.0d a week to be paid on production of a receipt to Mr Mason
confirming the rent had been paid. When Cooper refused to produce the receipt,
an argument ensued; Lee struck Cooper with a whip and was fined £2.0s.0d.Cooper then sued Lee for £49.0s.0d in
damages, but lost the case and had to pay £2.0s.0d in costs.
The Victoria was renamed the
Queensland Hotel from 1881 until 1887 when it became the Cricket Club
Hotel.In 1914, the City Sanitary
Inspector, armed with serious complaints from local residents, deemed its
sanitary conveniences, particularly the urinals, inadequate.A police report of that year asserts that
large crowds retiring to the hotel after football matches on the nearby St
Kilda Cricket Ground created ‘a quagmire, with urine running across the
footpath’. Faced with the threat of action by the Licensing Inspector, then
owner Smerdon agreed to make extensive alterations to the building.
Smerdon's Hotel, 1870s
On 18July
1915, publican Ernie Browne wrote to the St Kilda Council requesting
permission to have a loaded revolver on the premises because of two occasions
where ‘one or more persons’ attempted to enter the Cricket Club after closing
hours.It only took the Council four
days to firmly, albeit politely, reject his claim!
The current building was constructed in the 1920s
with a classic freestyle design informing its curved corner, bay windows and
arched openings.
In 1970, entrepreneur Sammy Lee brought the famous Sydney drag troupe, Les
Girls, to perform at the Ritz Hotel. It was the first official drag performance
ever staged in Melbourne and their
arrival caused a sensation.Because they
were officially classified as 'male', the performers required police permits to
appear in female attire while travelling to the show, and were forbidden to 'be
on the street' dressed as women at all.
In 1999, The Elephant & Wheelbarrow replaced the Ritz.Popular as a backpackers’ venue and
particularly aimed at those from Britain (echoed in its name, reminiscent of a
traditional English pub), the pub hosts a special weekly ‘Meet the Neighbours’
night where punters can mix with the stars of their favourite soapie.
