The Thistle Inn
West Maitland
Lachlan Boyne was granted a publican's licence for The Thistle Inn at Campbell's Hill in 1843. The Inn was situated at the end of the Long Bridge on a site between the blacksmith's shop and the corner of Regent Street.
He took out a licence for the White Swan Inn also at Campbell's Hill in 1844 and 1845, taking over from Jacob Hinchcliffe
In 1846 the premises of The Thistle Inn were offered for sale. They were described as contiguous to the newly erected and extensive flour mills of Peter Green.
The property had a frontage to the main road of 110 ft. There was a good and substantial brick house erected with a cellar and stone foundation occupying an area of 48 ft by 33 1/2 ft and containing nine rooms. There were 2 front parlours, a shop (19'6' by 14'6'), four bedrooms, two verandah rooms, a detached kitchen with brick built oven, servants rooms and store, men's hut, 6 stalled stable, hay loft, corn store, fowl house, piggery etc., and all was enclosed with a 3 rail fence. Potential buyers were reminded that immense advantages were likely to be realised from the peculiarly eligible situation - it being the first establishment on entering the town from the northern district where colonial produce may be disposed of.
Edward Hawkins
Edward Hawkins was granted a publican's licence for The Thistle Inn in October 1849 and still held the licence in 1859.The Thistle Inn was demolished in 1862 -
An old land mark which will be familiar to earlier residents of Maitland has just been demolished. It is the removal of the dilapidated remains of what was once the Thistle Inn situated at the junction of Regent street and Campbell's Hill, and kept for many years by Mr. Edward Hawkins. The old hotel has ceased for the past twenty years to be licenced, and for a good part of that time was occupied as a private residence; but since the death of the late proprietor, the place has been allowed to fall into disrepair. A very old resident of Campbell's Hill Mr. James Bates tells us he recollects the hill 47 years ago when there was a bit of an old slab hut where the Royal Oak Hotel now stands and a bark humpy on the site of Hawkins' hotel, but after some little time so many teamsters were employed on the road that pubs sprang up like mushrooms, Campbell's Hill for a long time being a favourite camping ground for teams and teamsters and the publicans did a rattling trade. Four pubs were then making rapid fortunes for their owners, while now two is one too many. - Maitland Weekly Mercury 12 October 1895
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