Seacombe House Formerly named The Stag Cnr Sackville and Cox Streets Port Fairy John Sanders (Saunders) first came to Port Fairy in charge of the "Sally Ann" owned by the Henty family of Portland. He left the sea behind in 1844 and established the "Sally Ann Inn" named for his old ship, on the site of the present day Star of the West hotel. After selling the Sally Ann Inn to John Taylor he acquired the land on the South west corner of Sackville Street and erected a detached cottage facing Sackville Street for which he obtained a licence to sell alcohol and named the premises The Stag Inn. He died in 1850 and his wife leased the Inn to John Mason. By 1852 a large two story rendered bluestone building had been constructed on the corner site. The second un rendered section was probably added in 1854. Abijah John Brown became licencee in 1855 and made the Stag the centre of entertainment for the district, with many balls, dinners and concerts taking place there. It boasted "a billiard room and a twenty stall stables and coach house". By 1861 Abijah Brown had left The Stag and Lennox Trew was now owner and licencee. It came up for sale in 1869 but failed to sell. After Trew's death in 1886 it was sold to a syndicate and opened as a boarding school. It later became a Coffee Palace and Accomodation house named Seacombe House, and in the 1950's a motel was built on the old stable site. It is still a Hotel Motel and a restaurant which has revived the old name of "The Stag". Black and white Photograph of 2 story rendered building with multi paned windows and power pole on cornerhotel, lennox trew, abijah brown, john sanders, john saunders, john mason., sackville street, cox street, stag inn, stag hotel, seacombe house, coffee palace

Seacombe House Formerly The Stag Inn note balcony and sign "Coffee Palace"Black and white photograph of 2 story building with a corner balcony 3 males and a female on footpath 1 female on balconyhotel, sackville street, bank street, lennox trew, john sanders, john saunders, john mason, abijah brown, coffee palace