South Island Historic Bed and Breakfast Nelson, Nelson Lakes, New Zealand
B&B Nelson Lakes Accommodation - Historic Tophouse |
Nelson Lakes
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and Mountainview Chalets self contained family accommodation |
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Tophouse History |
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In the early days of New Zealand, drovers would take their sheep to better farming land in Marlborough and the Canterbury plains. Instead of crossing the dangerous rivers they would follow the rivers to their source, and then follow another in a new direction. This saved the lives of many sheep and people, and created the future routes for roads. It wasn't long before hotels sprang up each a day's journey from the one before, relying on each other for their customers. The Top House (later shortened to Tophouse) is the only one of these still being used for its original purposes. An ex-ship carpenter, Ned James built most of the accomodation houses on the route, and of these Tophouse was the last and the biggest. Like most old buildings, the house has had its share of violent events, including a double murder/suicide in October, 1894. Ghosts may be arranged on special request. Until 1926, the hotel bar was literally a cupboard inside the house, which, to limit the amount of alcohol consumed, had a limit on its size - but no limit on the size of the store room that supplied it. Then in 1926 the licensing commission threatened to take the license unless the owner built a 'decent bar'. The owners complied, building the addition out of used packing cases. Despite its reputation as the smallest bar in New Zealand, with the second worst beer in the Nelson District, the bar continued to operate up until 1969, when the New Zealand Licencing Commission took away the licences of many rough but friendly old country pubs. The Tophouse was one victim of this purge. The Tophouse held the longest running liquor licence in the country until it was closed. This was such a sad event that, in 1974, Sam Sampson wrote "Tophouse Lament." 1. There is strife in the Province of Nelson Round the shores of Lake Roto-iti They've closed down the Pub up at Tophouse T'was too scruffy for them don't you see If I want a quick beer or a whisky It's a drive to the Wairau for me. CHORUS Wrap me up with the bits of my Rover, And on my headstone with my name, Say, "He pranged driving home from the Boozer, The Commission's entirely to blame." 2. They said that our pub was too scungy, For people to drink there a sin, They think we should only be happy, In a DB lounge drinking pink gin. When the pressure inside us has built up, To the point where wee feel we must bust, They say we must use stainless troughs now, Not just go out and use a fence post. 3. The place must be built out of plastic, Formica and chromium too. An old wooden bar's unhygienic, And beer out of kegs just won't do, A bar that seats six is quite stupid, It should take five hundred or more, With plush padded seats and a carpet, And a patented lock on the door. 4. The passing of Tophouse was something, I'm bound I shall never forget. We used buckets to drink from - not glasses. We all got skunk-drunk you can bet. Then from ten o'clock to the small hours, Old Ray turned the grog on for free. And by five o'clock in the morning, There was hardly a bloke there could see. 5. I suppose they will take the pub's licence, To give to some new city barn, Where you're jammed in so tight and the noise is so loud, You have trouble in hearing a yarn. It's the same now all over the nation, As the old country pubs are closed down, The beer barons' business keeps booming, As the licences shift into town. sung to the tune of Wakamarina...Sam Sampson, 1974 Tophouse was then sold to a family who used it as a private home. Not knowing how to restore cob, and not being allowed to bulldoze it down due to its historic rating, the family was forced to live in it until it would fall down and they could build a new house on top. Luckily in 1988, Mike and Melody Nicholls bought the house and managed to restore it to more or less it's original state. Now the building has a category 'A' historic rating by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, and is once again open to the public. The Mountainview Chalets were added in 1996 to provide affordable self-contained family accommodation, and the Mountain Golf Course in 2000. The bar licence has now been restored and Tophouse once again claims "the world's smallest bar." The entire area has great views of the nearby mountains, with spectacular sunsets and beautiful sunny days*. *NOTE: We at Tophouse cannot guarantee that your stay will be sunny, even though most of the time it is. |
