Prints For Sale: Vulcan Hotel, St.Bathans, Central Otago

--> There's been a Vulcan Hotel in St. Bathans since 1869 but this one, notorious for its ghost, was built in 1882 to replace two previous 'permanent' structures both of which had burned down. This print is identical to my original drawing that appeared in my book 'The Good Old Kiwi Pub'.

Size of image is 30 cm x 48 cm .

Price is $NZ 95.00 inc. p&p in NZ.

Please contact me at donovan@ihug.co.nz

© DON DONOVAN. donovan@ihug.co.nz 
www. don-donovan.blogspot.co.nz
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New Zealand Odyssey: The Old Billiards Saloon, St.Bathans, Central Otago

'New Zealand Odyssey', published in 1989 by Heinemann, was authored by me, Don Donovan (who did the text and illustrations) and Euan Sarginson, who did the photography and design. In this series of blog posts, I will publish some of my drawings.

Whether or not they were still playing on the green baize in 1988 I don't know, but this little building next door to the Vulcan Hotel looked pretty fresh and there might still have been a full-sized table behind that door. The lettering was superbly wrought.

I'm always slightly suspicious of buildings like this. One never knows when they might have been dollied up for a TV commercial but I think it was genuine; indeed it's listed by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. I see pink flannel vested gold miners potting blacks in my mind's eye...

I was in St.Bathans in 2011 and the billiards hall seems to have become an extension of the hotel with 'Billiards' painted out and benches and flower pots blocking the door.

© DON DONOVAN

donovan@ihug.co.nz

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Country Churches of NZ 127. St. Patrick's, St Bathans, Central Otago

I wrote and illustrated Country Churches of New Zealand. It was published in 2002 by New Holland, Publishers and is still on sale in bookshops. The publishers have kindly agreed to me re-publishing some of the book’s images and descriptions in this blog.

ST. PATRICK’S, ST. BATHANS

The town of St. Bathans had such a fabulously rich goldfield that miners turned what was once a 120m hill into what is now the flooded crater of the 50m deep Blue Lake.

St Patrick's was built in 1892 for Catholics and has a 'stone lasts forever' look about it that contrasts with corrugated iron St Alban's up the road. A misleading impression, for like the nearby Vulcan Hotel, it is built of sun-dried mud brick.

I did my work in the churchyard on a chilly spring morning, my feet in dew-wet grass and periwinkle but as I sketched, the sun picked its way across the tombstones and lit up a magnificent horse chestnut in full bloom, probably as old as the church.

© DON DONOVAN
donovan@ihug.co.nz
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