Harbour View Hotel

14 Bow Street, RAGLAN

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The Harbour View Hotel in Bow Street, Raglan, has provided hospitality to locals and visitors for an impressive 142 years, this, the third hotel on the site with the same name, was built early in 1905. The first Harbour View Hotel was established by George Moon in 1866 at a time when Raglan was developing as a European-style settlement. Raglan's dependence on the sea and shipping for access created a need for accommodation and Moon, who was one of the district's entrepreneurs, saw an opportunity despite the existence of two other hotels in the town. The hotel's popularity and success encouraged the investment of another such local businessman, Arthur Langley, who bought the hotel in 1893, and a pair of Auckland businessmen, brothers L.D. and N.A. Nathan, who purchased the property in 1901. The Nathans re-built the hotel twice after its destruction by fire in 1901 and 1904, recognising its value in the small seaside town. The architect is believed to be the renowned Auckland architect John Currie, who designed several buildings for the Nathan family. The original part of the hotel is a two-storey villa-style weatherboard structure with verandahs across the front at ground and first floor levels, and hipped corrugated iron roofs. It is L-shaped in plan with restaurant and bars facing the street at ground floor level, and kitchens, storerooms and utility rooms at the rear. On the first floor are bedrooms, lounge and bathroom facilities for overnight guests. The fabric and appearance of the 1905 building are close to original with sympathetic alterations. The hotel has had several additions and alterations as fashions for drinking, dining and accommodation facilities have changed. On the interior, the first floor is close to original in room use and layout. The ground floor has seen many alterations, primarily in the removal of walls to create larger spaces. It retains the original staircase with newel post and other decorative elements such as architraves, dado and cornices and the original rimu floor boards are exposed. The hotel as a business has continued in the same main uses since 1866 providing accommodation, food and refreshments and entertainment. It has national, regional and local significance for its reflection of the history of hotel development and the hospitality industry over that 142 years' continuous status as a hotel. It has served also as a community meeting place both informally and formally, with several community groups using the hotel as a meeting venue. For the last 40 years the hotel has had a reputation for providing good live musical entertainment. The Harbour View Hotel is significant for its association with George Moon, long-term owner and proprietor who was intricately tied up with the development of Raglan and the events that shaped its history. It is also associated with L.D. Nathan and Company, leaders in the hotel and brewery trades for over a century, along with Consolidated Hotels and Dominion Breweries. Proprietor Reuben Cushman was also held in high community esteem during his twenty-year involvement with the hotel. The hotel has strong architectural significance for being the work of John Currie, noted architect whose work includes major landmarks in Auckland including two registered buildings. The hotel has been significant and held in high esteem by the local community and the wider Auckland-Waikato community, as a hospitality venue, and is renowned for its popular live musical entertainment. In the wider historical landscape the hotel provides a strong visual welcome to the town centre as a large historic building facing the main road into the town centre and a linkage to other late 19th and early 20th century buildings nearby. It is near the site of the militia redoubt and stockade established in 1864, the site of chief Te Awaitaia's house, the original jetty that serviced the town and the first Raglan School established in 1883.

Harbour View Hotel | Kevin Hearle | 19/12/2008 | NZ Historic Places Trust

Location

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List Entry Information

Overview

Detailed List Entry

Status

Listed

List Entry Status

Historic Place Category 2

Access

Able to Visit

List Number

740

Date Entered

5th May 2009

Date of Effect

5th May 2009

City/District Council

Waikato District

Region

Waikato Region

Extent of List Entry

Extent includes part of the land described as Lot 1 DP 14392 and Pt Allot 14 Sec IV Town of Raglan (RT SA42D/277), South Auckland Land District and part of the buildings or structures known as the Harbour View Hotel thereon, and its fittings and fixtures. The post-1950s additions are excluded.(Refer to map in technical change report)

Legal description

Lot 1 DP 14392 and Pt Allot 14 Sec IV Town of Raglan (RT SA42D/277), South Auckland Land District

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