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Thomas Potter Macqueen was granted 20,000 acres between
Scone and Muswellbrook in 1823, and was responsible for naming the town
of Aberdeen,after his friend The Earl of Aberdeen, and then having it
gazetted as a township. In 1837 when he had almost completed the building
of the Inn he wrote to Francis Fisher, Crown Solicitor of New South Wales
and described the building as follows -
| "The Inn is now being roofed
in - it will cost about 100 pounds more in window glass, ironwork
for doors, nails, etc., and perhaps 200 pounds for labour - but it
is the best building of the sort in the colony - it is of solid stone
two feet thick - the lower rooms 14 the upper rooms 11 feet high -
it contains two large parlours, landlord's family room - one small
parlour and double bed room below - five bedrooms and two dormitories
for male and female servants above - detached kitchen - tap room and
store - it is beautifully situated - has a well of superb clear water
in the garden, with one paddock of 30 acres of pasture and another
of 10 acres for green barley for the horses...........it has excited
great attention in this neighbourhood........" |
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1889
No doubt an interesting story behind this one...were these lodgers at
the Inn or just regular drinking patrons? Had there been an incident
involving dynamite at one of the mines - "Dynamite Blood" is painted on
the side of the barrel.
Was one of their mates killed?
Were the miners revolting?
The flag featuring the Skull and Crossbones also reads "Bunyips
Defiance". What is the meaning behind this?
This is all part of the intrigue behind the history of Segenhoe, the
mystery is still being investigated!
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1905
Purpose built as an
Inn in 1837 by Thomas Potter Macqueen on the estate named Segenhoe after
Segenhoe Manor where he was born in Bedfordshire, England in 1791. Segenhoe
would have serviced many horse drawn carriages and coaches and accommodated
many travellers on long and dusty journeys.
Built just 50 years
after white settlement, Segenhoe Inn is a very significant heritage building.
In 1905 this horse and buggy was travelling along Macqueen Street, now
better known as the New England Highway.
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1937
The Inn looks very
different today compared to how it looked when known as the Segenhoe
Hotel in 1937. Since 2003 the Inn has been in a constant state of change
as Cherie continually upgrades the building and services converting
it to a Luxury Boutique Hotel and B&B. Guests to the Inn can immerse
themselves in a gracious old world setting where quality starched linens,
silver and gold cutlery, crystal glass and antiques abound. Candlelight
and soft music set the mood for a romantic getaway. Cherie's purist
attitude and attention to historic detail makes a visit to the Inn a
history buffs delight!
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