Wine and Beer Stores
Relocating from George Street , the Wine and Beer Stores at 204 Queen's Road occupied a building constructed circa 1850. The premises were granted a spirit licence in 1866 and became known as 'The London Stores and Oyster Luncheon Bar', serving draught wine and aromatic liquors with flavours such as Cloves, Mint, Shrub, Noyeau, Raspberry, Dantzic Spruce and Doctor.[1]
The premises became known to be premises of ill-repute and several court cases arose involving prostitution. Following a police visit where the police found what was described as a 'mares nest' inside the premises with a lot of noise caused by female voices, the landlord was charged as follows; 'unlawfully and knowingly permitting and suffering divers persons of a notorious bad character to assemble in his house against the tenor of his license’. As a defence, the publican said that he was serving the employees of a company who were pulling down a marquee on the adjacent Central Cricket Ground and did not notice the women. Upon being fined £1 the landlord asked the magistrate how he should deal with men who came into the pub to meet women. The magistrates response was to say that charges of this nature did not apply to men.[1]
In 1875, the premise became The Central Hotel
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