There are mentions of John Olson at the National Hotel in the newspaper reports of Annual Licensing sessions:
6 Nov 1878. Renewals of their licenses were granted to all the other applicants, namely, [...]Stag Hotel, Jessie Cook; [...] National Hotel, John Olson; [...]. HK Daily Press.
2 Nov 1880. John Olsen, "National Hotel;" has held a license for 14 years; unopposed ; granted.
The China Mail.
The rate book for 1883-4 lists the "National Hotel, proprietor John Olson" at 200 & 200A, Queen's Road Central, on IL 5 sec. A, and adjacent to the Gough Str. Steps. In pencil, someone has written new street numbers 222 & 224 next to the 200 and 200A.
But an advert in 1883 showed Olson was selling the contents and retiring:
The National Hotel still appears in the rate book for 1885-6 as "Boarding House, National Hotel" at 222 & 224 Queen's Road Central, on IL 5 sec. A, and adjacent to the Gough Str. Steps. It isn't clear whether Olson was still the proprietor or if it has changed hands.
The 1905 map shows the western end of IL5 is aadjacent to the steps running between Queen's Road Central and Gough Street.
Photos that show this Place
Comments
Change of licensee of National Hotel
The owner of the even-numbered properties 204-224 on that side of Queen's Road is given as Tso Lai Tong. I’m not sure of the difference between “Owner” and “Proprietor”. However, I think we can safely say that John Olson had given up the National Hotel by 1885, when he buys and moves into a brand new house at 1 Ladder Street Terrace. It seems that the National Hotel then goes badly downhill in management and reputation. Carl Smith cites the Daily Press, 14 July 1886 as follows:
License Meeting – Hock Goon, landlord of Grand Hotel, 224 Queen’s Road, application to transfer license of adjacent house, the National Hotel, lately in occupation of Daniel Hayesman. (…) License was formerly held on behalf of Mrs Han, who had thought it best to transfer it to her husband Hock Goon. Heard complaint against Mrs. Han for keeping a young girl as a decoy in the place. I know that she had a little daughter that used to run about the streets of Canton dressed in a very gaudy manner to attract attention. She is in house and goes into bar – under 12 years of age. Mr. Hock Goon, Chinese, native of San Wi. For some time resided in Australia, as gardener, never before had public house license. Usually dressed in Chinese costume, but occasionally in European clothes.
From 1877 onwards, John Olson’s younger brother, Olof, had been co-manager of the National Hotel, taking over sole management in 1879 until he suddenly died in 1880. Carl Smith then gives Wilhl. Wilson as taking over the management from 1881-1883, so John Olson had obviously been trying to let go of the reins for some time before announcing his imminent retirement at the age of 45. On the birth certificates of his first two children in 1879 and 1880, (the second of whom was my grandmother), he declares his profession as “Farm Keeper”, so it sounds as if he had bought some land and that he was focussing his interests elsewhere.
Jill