Fair view hotel

Contemporary view (Ca 2017) of Fyansford, Barrabool hills and Moorabool Valley
from the site of the old Fair View Hotel

Photo by John Norton Ca 1866-1880
Blog Post
The Fair View Hotel, also known as the Fairview Hotel, was located at the top of Fyans' Ford Hill (north-west corner of Hyland St. and McCurdy Rd.) on a large lot of land extending all the way down to the banks of the Moorabool River.
Timeline:
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1847 Thomas B Payne purchased the land
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1855 Fair View Hotel, under ownership of James Noble Esq., was occupied and run by John McInnes
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1859 William and Margaret Greenwood run the establishment; now as “Greenwood's Family Hotel”
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1861 Greenwoods try, unsuccessfully, to sell their hotel as a private gentlemen's residence
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1863 Property leased to Misses Dawson who move their “ladies' seminary” to the more spacious 'Fair View House'
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1865 The ‘school for young ladies’ relocates
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1867 “Fairview House” repeatedly advertised for sale
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1871 Margaret Greenwood transfers her publican's license to a tenant, Mr. J. C. Mogg
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1873 Mogg leaves and Margaret is again granted a liquor license for the Fairview Hotel
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1876 Margaret dies – the hotel in all likelihood falls vacant and is never again occupied
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1880 Geelong Advertiser reports that a severe storm caused considerable damage to the premises
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1881 Property purchased by Mr. Hotchin, a well-known butcher, with plans to convert the building into a slaughtering house
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1884 Hotchin's butchery advertised for sale in Geelong Advertiser
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2016 Site is largely vacant apart from a few houses
The field of vision to the west is still awe-inspiring; with views up the Moorabool valley, across the Barrabool hills and down onto the township of Fyansford. To the north, south and east, the landmarks which may have earlier been visible are now obscured by housing and the remains of the Fyansford Cement Works.

Contemporary view of the site of the old Fair View Hotel

No known photo of the Fair View hotel exists
For a more detailed, well-researched historical perspective of the ups-n-downs of this
ill-fated establishment see Jo Mitchell’s Barwon Blogs:
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From ford to food bowl (14 September, 2016)
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A fair view (28 August, 2016)
Extract from A Fair View by Jo Mitchell
"In addition to its better-known hotels, for several decades during the latter half of the 19th century, Fyansford had another pub: the Fair View (aka Fairview) Hotel. By all accounts, the Fair View was aptly named. Perched atop the highest point of Herne Hill - or Fyans' Ford Hill as it was known in the early days of the colony - it commanded sweeping 360 degree views of the surrounding landscape, however its origins seem - to me at least - to be a bit of a mystery...."
Definitely, well worth a read - including the added comments

Google Earth map overlay on section of
1953 survey map of the Parish of Moorpanyal
Recent (2018) Pics from Google Earth


A grab of old press clippings...




In
1881 the Fair View property was purchased by Mr. Hotchin, a well-known butcher, who had plans to convert the building into a slaughtering house. He may well have operated the premises as a butchery during this time. What was a butcher shop like back then? This gallery of pics hints at what it may have been like.
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We do know from a Geelong Advertiser)advertisement that Hotchin put his butchery up for sale in 1884.

THOMAS_BROWN’S_BUTCHER_SHOP Hamilton

Richard and Margaret Clement and their twins Margaret and Isabella in a pram outside their shop in Geelong in 1874. The elderly gentleman next to Margaret is her father Thomas Knight, born in the late 1820s


THOMAS_BROWN’S_BUTCHER_SHOP Hamilton