Landmark Mitcham Restoration

This Landmark Mitcham property is being given a new lease of life with a $1 million renovation. The former Temperance Hotel, on Albert St, is being returned to its former glory by a young builder called Charles Savage.

Over the years, the 1850-built sandstone fronted 13-room building has served as a shop selling sweets, a betting show for gamblers and private apartments.
It was originally called the Temperance Hotel, and you can see the old name on the side of the partially restored building. In recent months, Mr Savage repainted the Temperance Hotel sign on the building's eastern face as a nod to its past.

This building has an interesting history going back to when it started life as the Brownhill Creek Inn. It was originally a single story cottage, first licensed in 1850 by Mr Taylor.

The Inn faced the Mitcham Village Green and was near to Brownhill Creek Road, a most convenient location for the thirsty Brownhill Creek gardeners and quarrymen. In 1864 Mr Taylor retired after which the licence lapsed for a period of 5 years.

The hotel had a number of licensees over a 10 year period. By the end of the 19th century the building became the 'Temperance Hotel'. As the name suggests, it was no longer trading as licensed premises. Instead it offered water for picnics in the Mitcham Village Green, cigarettes, tobacco, and various other goods were sold in a shop on the ground floor.

You can see some of the words from the old signs painted onto the front wall of the building. See it better in LARGE.

In recent years the building had started to fall into very bad repair. When the last resident passed away, the near derelict building was sold to Mr Charles Savage. He is planning to move into the State Heritage-listed building following the extensive renovation.

Mr Savage has already converted two upstairs rooms into an office for his construction business and plans to take the building back to its original condition as far as possible. (For those not familiar with Mitcham, it is one of the oldest suburbs of Adelaide.)