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Quinn's Post and Fergusson Rest Home and Hospital
History
HistoryThe early history was written up in the April 10, 197 'Leader' by S C A O'Leary; the following part draws on this.
The first hotel was the 'Highland Home', built in 1860 for John 'Scot' McHardie; it became the 'Railway' before 1876, when the proprietor was Isaac Wilkins; no fewer than eleven licensees ran it before Tom Walsh took over in 1901; it burnt down in 1902.
The second building, originally the Trentham Hotel, first run by Frank McGovern, was built slightly further west. Its licensee in 1915 was Richard Quinn; his brother Ted wrote from 'the front' about the bravery of the Anzacs at Quinn's Post, Gallipoli, and the Quinn's Post name was adopted. The building was a two-storey stucco-faced or concrete-block structure with a fire-escape parapet under some of the Fergusson Drive windows. It was right on the corner of Fergusson Drive and Ward Street. The November 6 'Leader' tells of an early application to rebuild, with Council and licensing committee both in favour, only to be frustrated by the building controller, shortly before building controls were abolished (ca. 1950?).
A May 1966 picture shows a group of people with a Ford Falcon estate car which had been donated to the Crippled Children's Society; the presentation was made at Quinn's Post to acknowledge the £608 ($1216) which manager Les Tickner had raised in 10 days in March. Les and Elsie moved to the Victoria Hotel, Petone, in late 1967; their farewell was pictured in the October 11 'leader'. Often described as publican, Les is in electoral rolls as a manager; the proprietor (at least in 1974) was J F McCarthy.
Motels (the Quinn's post Motor Inn)and a private bar and Upper Hutt's first licensed restaurant (the Red Coaches) were built further west, and opened in December 1970.
The two-storey building lasted until 1974; demolition was announced in the August 7 'Leader', and both Brian Pearce and the 'Evening Post' took pictures almost immediately afterwards. During the following week the roof and windows were removed.
The building was replaced by a single-storey one, and the adjacent lounge bar was extended with improvements to the visibility of the stage, a private bar, and ancillary services for staff. The improvements would cost $532 000.
The restaurant associated with the motels was the Red Coaches. The August 30, 1977 'Leader' said the restaurant would be converted to a function centre and printed an architect's drawing. An October 31, 1978 advertisement listed 35 motel units (up from 25), a functions room which could cater for 140 people, and a honeymoon suite.
The Red Coaches was renamed Camelot Steak House in mid-May 1981 At first, Camelot advertised as if it was new, with full-page advertisements like the Red Coaches' and very similar menus and prices; later they added a strapline pointing out that the address was the same. By mid-1981, the advertisements had shrunk to 13 x 10 cm.
By mid-1989 the restaurant had been the King's Court for three years, and was separately owned. It seated 70-80, and had a dance floor and a 50-seat banqueting room.
In a 1990 picture, the restaurant and bar was named the King's Court, and faced the Motor Inn entrance; Michael Gibbs was offering this 'new restaurant' for lease, or for sale with the adjoining motel, in the October 2, 1990 'Leader'.
By April 1992 the restaurant had been renamed Fergussons; on its first anniversary it added a new wine bar.
In August 1992 the Mighty Quinn Lounge was converted to a country rock and karaoke bar by Garth Poole and his partner Graeme Ward.
In October 1994 the Governors restaurant was renamed Barnie's Steak Bar & Grill.
The whole site, valued at $2.8m in 1992, was offered for sale in March 1995; at that stage it comprised the Quinns Post Motor Inn, Fergussons Restaurant, and the tavern, on the corner of Ward Street, and undeveloped land behind. The Gibbs family had prepared a scheme plan for a retirement village using the existing building.
Work on the rest home complex began in May 1996, and it opened on October 7, 1996 with 34 rest-home beds and 15 hospital beds. Seven of the rest-home beds were later converted to hospital beds.
The September 10, 1997 'Leader' printed a plan of a proposed petrol station on the corner of Ward Street; the developer, Alandale Group, of Tauranga, would not name their clients. The tavern would be demolished. A resource consent application was printed on October 8 and mentioned in an article on the 15th. The station had been approved by December 23. It opened as a Challenge! station on November 24, 1998.
A rest home expansion was completed by January 1998; 27 rest-home beds and a 14-bed dementia unit had been added; dementia patients had been moved from Fergusson Rest Home Limited's Chatswood House facility in McParland Street. Chatswood would take on more dementia patients or convert to a stage 2 rest home. The company's two homes had 15 and 90 beds respectively.
In March, work began on the Ward Street neighbourhood pub.
The old bar on the corner of Fergusson Drive closed on June 20, and the new pub opened on the 30th. The July 8 'Leader' printed a 3-1/2-page advertising feature, 2which also mentioned that privately-owned retirement apartments linked to Ferguson Home would be built on remaining land.
By July the old bar was being demolished. A Challenge service station was applied for (an appeal by Gorries Auto Services was withdrawn), and it opened on the Ward Street corner in November.
An apartment complex in Ward Street, opposite Martin Street, was approved in January 2000.
The service station closed in December 2002, and the corner site stayed unused for years. In March 2016 a 'sold' sign appeared, and on March 15 the 'Dominion Post' reported that the pub would soon be surrounded on three sides by Fergusson Rest Home.
The March 7 'Dominion Post' reported that Fergusson Retirement Village, owned by BUPA, had demolished the remains of the Challenge! service station, and would be adding a $24m three-storey 50-apartment retirement home on the corner site to its two-storey 42-apartment home on Ward Street, and Fergusson Care Home, on Fergusson Drive; the three units would surround the Quinns Post Tavern.
The March 8 'Leader' printed a similar article, with a picture of the canopy's support structure being dismantled.
The first hotel was the 'Highland Home', built in 1860 for John 'Scot' McHardie; it became the 'Railway' before 1876, when the proprietor was Isaac Wilkins; no fewer than eleven licensees ran it before Tom Walsh took over in 1901; it burnt down in 1902.
The second building, originally the Trentham Hotel, first run by Frank McGovern, was built slightly further west. Its licensee in 1915 was Richard Quinn; his brother Ted wrote from 'the front' about the bravery of the Anzacs at Quinn's Post, Gallipoli, and the Quinn's Post name was adopted. The building was a two-storey stucco-faced or concrete-block structure with a fire-escape parapet under some of the Fergusson Drive windows. It was right on the corner of Fergusson Drive and Ward Street. The November 6 'Leader' tells of an early application to rebuild, with Council and licensing committee both in favour, only to be frustrated by the building controller, shortly before building controls were abolished (ca. 1950?).
A May 1966 picture shows a group of people with a Ford Falcon estate car which had been donated to the Crippled Children's Society; the presentation was made at Quinn's Post to acknowledge the £608 ($1216) which manager Les Tickner had raised in 10 days in March. Les and Elsie moved to the Victoria Hotel, Petone, in late 1967; their farewell was pictured in the October 11 'leader'. Often described as publican, Les is in electoral rolls as a manager; the proprietor (at least in 1974) was J F McCarthy.
Motels (the Quinn's post Motor Inn)and a private bar and Upper Hutt's first licensed restaurant (the Red Coaches) were built further west, and opened in December 1970.
The two-storey building lasted until 1974; demolition was announced in the August 7 'Leader', and both Brian Pearce and the 'Evening Post' took pictures almost immediately afterwards. During the following week the roof and windows were removed.
The building was replaced by a single-storey one, and the adjacent lounge bar was extended with improvements to the visibility of the stage, a private bar, and ancillary services for staff. The improvements would cost $532 000.
The restaurant associated with the motels was the Red Coaches. The August 30, 1977 'Leader' said the restaurant would be converted to a function centre and printed an architect's drawing. An October 31, 1978 advertisement listed 35 motel units (up from 25), a functions room which could cater for 140 people, and a honeymoon suite.
The Red Coaches was renamed Camelot Steak House in mid-May 1981 At first, Camelot advertised as if it was new, with full-page advertisements like the Red Coaches' and very similar menus and prices; later they added a strapline pointing out that the address was the same. By mid-1981, the advertisements had shrunk to 13 x 10 cm.
By mid-1989 the restaurant had been the King's Court for three years, and was separately owned. It seated 70-80, and had a dance floor and a 50-seat banqueting room.
In a 1990 picture, the restaurant and bar was named the King's Court, and faced the Motor Inn entrance; Michael Gibbs was offering this 'new restaurant' for lease, or for sale with the adjoining motel, in the October 2, 1990 'Leader'.
By April 1992 the restaurant had been renamed Fergussons; on its first anniversary it added a new wine bar.
In August 1992 the Mighty Quinn Lounge was converted to a country rock and karaoke bar by Garth Poole and his partner Graeme Ward.
In October 1994 the Governors restaurant was renamed Barnie's Steak Bar & Grill.
The whole site, valued at $2.8m in 1992, was offered for sale in March 1995; at that stage it comprised the Quinns Post Motor Inn, Fergussons Restaurant, and the tavern, on the corner of Ward Street, and undeveloped land behind. The Gibbs family had prepared a scheme plan for a retirement village using the existing building.
Work on the rest home complex began in May 1996, and it opened on October 7, 1996 with 34 rest-home beds and 15 hospital beds. Seven of the rest-home beds were later converted to hospital beds.
The September 10, 1997 'Leader' printed a plan of a proposed petrol station on the corner of Ward Street; the developer, Alandale Group, of Tauranga, would not name their clients. The tavern would be demolished. A resource consent application was printed on October 8 and mentioned in an article on the 15th. The station had been approved by December 23. It opened as a Challenge! station on November 24, 1998.
A rest home expansion was completed by January 1998; 27 rest-home beds and a 14-bed dementia unit had been added; dementia patients had been moved from Fergusson Rest Home Limited's Chatswood House facility in McParland Street. Chatswood would take on more dementia patients or convert to a stage 2 rest home. The company's two homes had 15 and 90 beds respectively.
In March, work began on the Ward Street neighbourhood pub.
The old bar on the corner of Fergusson Drive closed on June 20, and the new pub opened on the 30th. The July 8 'Leader' printed a 3-1/2-page advertising feature, 2which also mentioned that privately-owned retirement apartments linked to Ferguson Home would be built on remaining land.
By July the old bar was being demolished. A Challenge service station was applied for (an appeal by Gorries Auto Services was withdrawn), and it opened on the Ward Street corner in November.
An apartment complex in Ward Street, opposite Martin Street, was approved in January 2000.
The service station closed in December 2002, and the corner site stayed unused for years. In March 2016 a 'sold' sign appeared, and on March 15 the 'Dominion Post' reported that the pub would soon be surrounded on three sides by Fergusson Rest Home.
The March 7 'Dominion Post' reported that Fergusson Retirement Village, owned by BUPA, had demolished the remains of the Challenge! service station, and would be adding a $24m three-storey 50-apartment retirement home on the corner site to its two-storey 42-apartment home on Ward Street, and Fergusson Care Home, on Fergusson Drive; the three units would surround the Quinns Post Tavern.
The March 8 'Leader' printed a similar article, with a picture of the canopy's support structure being dismantled.
Photos
Publication
Ephemera
Location
DescriptionOriginally a traditional hotel; rebuilt with motels; motels and restaurant were converted to rest home; tavern rebuilt in Ward Street, and an independent service station was built on the corner site of the original tavern.Coordinates[1] Ferguson Rest Home frontage seen from here[2] The Ward Street tavern is seen from here; the four-peak roof at right was over a Challenge service station, on the former tavern site.
Coordinates[1] Ferguson Rest Home frontage seen from here[2] The Ward Street tavern is seen from here; the four-peak roof at right was over a Challenge service station, on the former tavern site.Details
Established1876
Also known as
Alternative NameHighland HomeFor the years1876-?
For the years1876-?Also known as
Alternative NameRailwayFor the years?-1902
For the years?-1902Also known as
Alternative NameTrenthamFor the years1902-1915
For the years1902-1915Also known as
Alternative NameQuinn's Post (tavern part)For the years1915-present
For the years1915-presentAlso known as
Alternative NameFergusson Rest Home and HospitalFor the years1996-present
For the years1996-presentloading google map....
Quinn's Post and Fergusson Rest Home and Hospital. Upper Hutt City Library, accessed 18/03/2026, https://uhcl.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/23681