The Queen’s Arms Hotel was established by Frederick Fass in Southport, Queensland, in the 1800s, during a time when Southport was emerging as a popular destination. The establishment became a hub for social gatherings, accommodation, and events, featuring a shady roof and plenty of balconies.
The 1878 original “Queen’s Arms” Hotel
“The Queen’s Arms” refers to the Queen’s “Coat of Arms”: The symbol she wore on her armour to show who she was, and that her soldiers wore so they could identify friends and enemies in battle.
Queen Victoria reigned from June 1837 to January 1901, so maybe this was the Hotel’s sign. But more likely, it was a popular name of a hotel in the UK, and just sounded nice to the locals…..
Before long the “Arms’ tag was dropped, and for many years it was just “The Queens Hotel”.
Over the decades, the hotel witnessed numerous changes in ownership and renovations, adapting to the needs of changing times.
In this 1951 photo from the city council, which was in the building on the right, is displaying its new fleet of American trucks, and our building just happens to be captured in the background. (Actually, it’s a different building with a big deck out front: The original caught fire and burned down.)
Unfortunately, that building also burned down. It was replaced with a “red brick” building typical of the era. No deck.
It did not burn down. In the ‘90s, a new owner carried out extensive renovations to create the attractive and welcoming space we know today, including a small balcony.
The hotel industry changed, and the building was left empty for some years.
Eventually a new investor decided to lease it to anyone who would lease it, so we repurposed it into a school. I would not recommend trying to change a pub into a school. There are plenty of toilets, but not enough power points.
One of our Remedial Massage clinic models told us that God had sent us to convert a place of sin into a place of learning, however I don’t recall getting any instructions along those lines……
One thing is for sure though: For nearly 150 years western people have been coming here to share their thoughts!
