The old White Horse Hotel at Becks in Central Otago was once the hub of the small town. When a new one was built over the road, the abandoned pub soon fell into disrepair and Central Otago risked losing a valuable piece of its history. Sarah Marquet finds out how a small group of volunteers stepped in to save the hotel.
In a small Central Otago township almost exactly between the equator and the south pole is a tired old abandoned hotel, possibly like many others throughout the country, except the door is unlocked.
The inside is dusty and musty, light leaks through gaps in the walls, wallpaper hangs in various forms of degradation, spiderwebs fill most doorways and old saddles, bicycles and building materials lie discarded.
There is bird poo on the doors and rodent droppings litter the floor.
In the main room are two horrendous-sounding pianos, an old couch and various pieces of crockery on a mantelpiece lit by a weak ray of sunlight forcing its way through a grimy stained glass window reading PARLOUR above one door. Above the other door is one that reads BAR.
There is also a table on which is placed a pen tied to a small book filled with names and dates of the hotel's visitors.
Opposite is a pinboard to which is attached old photos and an explanation of what a dedicated bunch of locals are trying to do.
Becks' old White Horse Hotel was built in 1864 and closed about 60 years later when the new hotel, of the same name, was built across the road.
From then until 22 years ago, its history is unclear except that it eventually fell to ruin, succumbed to the elements and vermin and was in danger of needing to be torn down.
On March 12, 1990, a few locals gathered in the town's new hotel, forming a group that would become the Old White Horse Hotel Historical Society.
Bill Mee, a descendant of the one of the original hotel's publicans, was a driving force behind the bid to save the old hotel and was made society secretary.
A month later, then owner Kevin Kane donated the building to the society and it was registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
Raising money through grants and donations, the society set to work.
Their first aim was to make the building weathertight to stop any further damage.
New Zealand Historic Places Trust Otago Southland area manager Owen Graham said while it was not unusual for a small community to take over the restoration of a building, in this case what helped was that the group commissioned a conservation plan from a heritage building specialist.
"That focuses the slender resources the group has on where they are most needed.
"They also fixed up the outside of the building first, restoring the stonework, re-roofing it and replacing the windows. The outward appearance is the thing that makes people stop and look."
On the outside of the building is a small donations box.
New White Horse Hotel publican Karen George said a significant amount of their funds had come from that box, especially in the summer tourist season.
She and husband Gary host Otago Central Rail Trail cyclists at their hotel and encourage them to cross the road to see the old hotel. Most came back amazed at the effort that had been put in to it but especially at the fact the door was unlocked, allowing them to look through.
As well as fixing up the exterior, one room was relined, as close to the original as possible, and a concrete slab floor was created.
While raising money to do up the building, the group is also researching the hotel's story.
It was commissioned in 1864 by John Nixon Beck as a Cobb and Co stagecoach stop.
"Back then, there was a pub every five miles ... because the horses were rested every five miles," Mrs George said.
One of the things she found interesting was that Mrs Fisher (Mr Beck's wife, who married William Fisher after Mr Beck died) was publican "for a long long time, which was quite unusual back then, being a woman".
Mrs Fisher raised 12 children in the tiny hotel while also catering for up to 14 guests at a time - all with no power or running water.
The hotel is thought to be one of 10 of its era still standing in New Zealand and as far as the society is aware, is the only one to be still standing in a town where a new one has been built.
The test for the group now was to try to get more people in the small community, or further afield, interested in protecting the historical building, Mrs George said.
"Getting the locals behind the project is really hard ... but in a rural area there is so much to support and people only have so much money."
The Becks community, of about 100 people, has recently raised around $30,000 to give its town hall a facelift.
Mrs George said the ultimate aim was to have the building fully refurbished, open and operating as a museum for next year's celebrations marking 150 years since gold was discovered, though she estimated that could cost more than $80,000.
The Georges have personally purchased display cabinets in which they intend to show off local memorabilia and things such as the hotel's wallpaper that would be removed in the restoration process.
"The plan is that it becomes a living museum, because we don't have a school, a golf club or a rugby club any more.
"All these things have gone but we still have the memorabilia."
She said with the next round of funding they intended to create interpretation panels to tell the hotel's story.
Saving history
The old White Horse Hotel, an approximate history:
1864: Stacked stone building commissioned by John Nixon Beck, to be used as a coach stop.
1878: Post Office added, used for 50 years.
Early 1880s: The town hall is rolled over the road on logs and attached to the hotel to provide more rooms.
1885: William Fisher married Mr Beck's widow and became hotel's proprietor.
1896: Telephone exchange added.
1901: Robert Mee took over as publican. He is thought to be the longest-serving publican under a single licence in the southern hemisphere (41 years).
1925: Mr Mee commissioned the new White Horse Hotel and the old one closed. He transferred the liquor licence from the old hotel to the new one.
1942: Mee family sells the old hotel.
March 1990: Old White Horse Hotel Historical Society formed.
April 1990: Kevin Kane donates building to the society; it is registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and given a category two rating.
About 2000: Concrete slab floor created and stonemason Keith Hinds, with Otago Polytechnic students, restores the outer stonework.
About 2006: Building reroofed.
About 2007: One room refurbished.
