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Club Hotel,Marton
Above, a
very early photo about 1865 - the first Marton hotel. As usual, the
ownership or management of the Club Hotel is confusing and all three Prosser brothers - John James
and William, have interests. The hotel was on the corner of High and Stewart
Streets. Stewart Street was named after George Victor Stewart, an early
entrepreneur who stared with a butchery in Wellington Rd and a horse
stables in Central Broadway, then set up a boarding house in High St,
probably as an outlet for his butchery products. Then he built an
adjoining Gentlemen's Club, and eventually about 1870, the two were merged
into the Club Hotel. He did not operate the hotel himself but did so
through managers - both William and James Prosser were there in this
capacity. Research + photos sent by Marton historian Paul
Melody in Aug 2000
The tenders
were let 21/6/1875 to build at a cost £1175 a new hotel on
the corner with the old Gents Club/boarding house alongside
.
 William
Prosser married Mary Ann Beer at Melbourne April 1872 and they returned to
live at Marton where he drove his four-in-hand coach to and
from Wellington. The two or even three day trip had 7 ferry
crossings along it's route with a stop over at Foxton - all long
days needing fresh replacement teams. Bill Prosser was
very well known as a coachman conversant with the route along
the sands of what was called the Beach Highway to the Paekakariki
hill then to Wellington or back to his home base at
Marton where his first 4 children were born and where he had
livery stables.
William became manager Nov 1875 of the new Marton Hotel
and continued to run his Prosser Horse Repository and Oct. 1 1876,
he left to take over management of the Whenakura Hotel "We
heartily wish Mr William Prosser, the respected landlord of the Club,
every success in his new home".
Brother James became
Proprieter of the Club Hotel from 1876 to 1887 with some breaks.
Advocate:
Aug 20, 1876: Prosser's Club Hotel, Marton; James
Prosser, having taken the above hotel from his brother William, begs to
draw the attention of the commercial Public and Families (en route) to the
unsurpassed accommodation of this hotel. The Suites of Apartments for
Families are well arranged and distinct from the hotel departments, while
the rooms are commodious and easy of access. Sample rooms for Commercial Travellers;
Paddocks for Cattle and Horses. The
stabling and attention to horses will afford satisfaction to the most
exacting. Wines, Spirits and Ales of
the Best Brands only. The aim of the
Proprieter is to make for this hotel a reputation second to
none in the colonies, and nothing that can conduce to that end shall be
wanting. Horses bought and sold on
Commission James Prosser. 
 1879
Marton's Club Hotel was sold In June to W F Baker and then
onsold the following Dec to Long and Harvey however James returned
October 1880. Aug 1882 James advertises the hotel "for sale or let"
and in June 1883, W T Watts from
Wanganui leased the hotel for 7 yrs and applied for the
license but again in Jan. 1885 James is backas
landlord as Watts left to take over the Albion Hotel, Courtney
Place, Wellington.
In April a
disastrous fire was averted - between 10 and 11 pm at Prosser's
Club Hotel, a kerosene lamp burst and the fire spread quickly throughout
the room but was confined there. The fire bell rang and many people
congregated but the services of the Fire Brigade were not
required.
In Feb 1887,
Thomas Unwin took over the hotel and James takes over the Branch Hotel in
Wellington February 1888.
Left:
The Marton
Club Hotel 2011
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