Built in 1856 The Star of the West was to be the first of many "Stars" throughout Victoria but John Walwyn Taylor died in 1860 at the age of 40 years having built only one. Cobb and Co had a livery stables Photograph with added features such as a red and white striped verandah The Star of the West Hotelhotel, port fairy, bank street, sackville street, star of the west, john walwyn taylor, cobb and co

Iconic Hotel in Port Fairy Built as the first of a proposed chain of hotels by John Walwyn Taylor in 1855 on the corner of Bank and Sackville Streets. 2 stories with a balcony wrapping around 2 sides of the building. The site was formerly occupied by the wooden hotel "The Sally Ann". A snapshot of time showing the hotel the power lines, and the style of cars from that era.Black and white photograph of the Star of the West Hotel on a brown bordered mountWritten in Pen at top and underlined - STAR OF THE WEST HOTEL Lower right - ball point pen museum numbers 62.04B.011D On Back- Pencil - 3-17 - S2-7-57 - j o h 2-7-57john walwyn taylor, the sally ann, bank street, sackville street, hotel, star of the west

The small building on the left is the Farmers Inn, and was built about 1849, when James Brown became the first licensee. In 1854 John Walwyn Taylor moved from the Sally Ann to take over, and remained there until 1857, when he moved to his new hotel The Star of the West built on the old Sally Ann site. John Wall then became the new licensee of the Farmers Inn. In 1876 his wife Bridget made an application for the license to be transferred to her as “her husband suffered from rheumatism, and there were certain other reasons why the license should be transferred to her hands”. The Bench wondered about creating a precedence of granting a license to a married woman, who was living with her husband, (licenses were only granted to the widows of licensees at that time), so the application was postponed for 14 days, but eventually Mrs Wall won her case. In 1882 Patrick Tennyson took over the lease of the Farmer’s Inn and applied to change the name to Tennyson’s Hotel. In 1885 he bought the freehold in the Great Land Sale for £780. 12s. 8d., and in December, carried out extensive renovations. The local press reported that “the rooms were quite tasteful, the Billiard room commodious and well ventilated, and that the old hotel had not looked so good for years”. The double storied part of the hotel was added in 1893. Patrick Tennyson had a colourful career. He was born in Charlemont, County Armagh in 1846. When he was 21, he served as a papal guard at the Vatican for 2 years and then entered the Marist Brothers novitiate in Beauchamps. In 1872 he was one of three brothers to accompany Brother Ludovic to Sydney; he was then aged 23. After 5 years he withdrew from the Congregation and moved to Victoria, where he took up teaching, first at Rosedale near Sale, then at Crossley, by which time he was married to Anne White. They had eight children, three dying in infancy. Eight months after he took over the Farmers’ Inn, he was elected to the Borough Council, and served as Mayor in 1897. His great interest was sport, was Secretary of the Race Club for 20 years and supported the local Football Club by donating a silver cup for local competitions. Patrick Tennyson died in 1904. The hotel continued under various licensees until it burned down in 1977 under the name of “The Fishermen’s Arms”. Well known main street hotel no longer exists Sepia photograph of 2 story building with tiled wainscoting male and 2 females in doorway and 2 females in window upstairshotel, building, sackville street, patrick tennyson, w.j.wright