Old Hotel

Albert Seaman's Paintings, Drawings and Essays

The Old Hotel - Churchville

Watercolour on Arches paper. Image size 12" (30.5 cm) by 16" (40.6 cm) © 1988.

Before the railway came to Brampton, several of the towns and villages in the district were competing for the prize of becoming the communications centre for the area. In the rapidly expanding world of commerce, the days o f the horse-drawn conveyance were numbered. It was a matter of economic survival for communities to have access to a modern form of transport.

Churchville was one of the losers in the competition. Until then, it had been a prominent centre for stagecoach traffic and its five hotels catered to the needs of the many travellers who passed through. The building featured in this picture was one of those hotels.

At the time this picture was painted (1988), little could be learned about the finer points of the building's history. The exterior condition was recorded accurately, even to the extent of showing the ghostly outline on the right hand corner where it is alleged there was once a separate entrance to the bar, since sealed off. Recent renovations have given the place a renewed lease on life but have not altered its appearance substantially.

Picture status - In a private collection.