One of the first accommodation houses to provide a place of rest for footsore and weary travellers making their way up the Waitaki River valley towards Kurow in North Otago, the Western Hotel (Former) still stands as a reminder of the importance of accommodation to nineteenth century travellers.
Standing on the site of an out station for the vast Otekaieke Station, the first accommodation house built on the site opened in the early 1860s. German-born Christian Hille who worked as a shepherd on Otekaieke Station opened the Western Hotel which he ran in conjunction with a ferry service which provided a punt across the Waitaki River. The Western Hotel was a small timber building which provided minimal facilities for the public. In 1870 it was damaged by fire and rebuilt in stone. Hille ran the business until the 1880s, when the bridging of the Waitaki River at Kurow focused business and services at the township, and with the punt service no longer required led to a decline in traffic and ultimately closure. After this time the former hotel became a private home known as Westmere, part of Hille’s estate.
Set in a mature garden alongside the Kurow-Duntroon Highway, the Western Hotel (Former) is built from local limestone on limestone foundations. It is of ‘salt box gable’ form and is one and a half storeys high. It has two dormer windows on the upper floor. The roof is corrugated iron. A veranda runs along the front elevation with decorative fretwork alternating between the veranda posts. The windows are multipaned.
The Western Hotel (Former) has architectural significance as a gold rush era accommodation house and has notable detailing including the decorative features. It has social significance as a relic of the coaching days when such houses were vital stops on long coaching routes between distant communities and it is historically important as a chain of such places which operated up the length of the Waitaki Valley. It has a long association with the Hille family who were prominent settlers in the North Otago region.
In 2011 as the Western House Bed and Breakfast, it continues to provide accommodation for the travelling public.
Standing on the site of an out station for the vast Otekaieke Station, the first accommodation house built on the site opened in the early 1860s. German-born Christian Hille who worked as a shepherd on Otekaieke Station opened the Western Hotel which he ran in conjunction with a ferry service which provided a punt across the Waitaki River. The Western Hotel was a small timber building which provided minimal facilities for the public. In 1870 it was damaged by fire and rebuilt in stone. Hille ran the business until the 1880s, when the bridging of the Waitaki River at Kurow focused business and services at the township, and with the punt service no longer required led to a decline in traffic and ultimately closure. After this time the former hotel became a private home known as Westmere, part of Hille’s estate.
Set in a mature garden alongside the Kurow-Duntroon Highway, the Western Hotel (Former) is built from local limestone on limestone foundations. It is of ‘salt box gable’ form and is one and a half storeys high. It has two dormer windows on the upper floor. The roof is corrugated iron. A veranda runs along the front elevation with decorative fretwork alternating between the veranda posts. The windows are multipaned.
The Western Hotel (Former) has architectural significance as a gold rush era accommodation house and has notable detailing including the decorative features. It has social significance as a relic of the coaching days when such houses were vital stops on long coaching routes between distant communities and it is historically important as a chain of such places which operated up the length of the Waitaki Valley. It has a long association with the Hille family who were prominent settlers in the North Otago region.
In 2011 as the Western House Bed and Breakfast, it continues to provide accommodation for the travelling public.
Western Hotel (Former), Kurow | Sarah Gallagher | 15/10/2021 | Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
Western Hotel (Former), Kurow. Original Water Wheel. Courtesy of Western House B&B | Western House B&B
Wetsren Hotel (Former), Kurow. Image included in Field Record Form Collection | L W McBeath | L W McBeath
Western Hotel (Former), Kurow | Sarah Gallagher | 15/10/2021 | Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
Western Hotel (Former), Kurow. Original Water Wheel. Courtesy of Western House B&B | Western House B&B
Wetsren Hotel (Former), Kurow. Image included in Field Record Form Collection | L W McBeath | L W McBeath
