Polly, Milly and Peter Howell.
Milly Howell and her father Peter Howell.
A Family Affair, Ghost and All BY ROBERT LAIDLAW There are so many unique aspects of the family-owned Inglewood Inn that it sounds more like a good book than a National Trust-listed site. For instance, while many pubs are named after the town or city they are located in, Inglewood is actually named after the pub. Then there is the Inn’s well-publicised resident ghost, which has supposedly been caught on video. It’s not surprising that the manager of this family hotel, Milly Howell, has well and truly been hooked by the hotelier lifestyle, after initially pursuing a career in graphic design. Milly’s parents Peter and Polly Howell have owned the hotel for 12 years. Milly is no stranger to pubs; the family had the Wellington Hotel in North Adelaide from 1988 until 2007, and prior to that Peter was involved in the Lakes Resort Hotel, West Lakes, the Robin Hood Hotel in Norwood, and the British Hotel, North Adelaide Milly initially chose life in the creative industry. However, after a successful
career as a graphic designer, Milly made a decision she said she has never regretted. “I wanted a change of scenery and offered to spend a month at the Inn to get the wedding side of the business up and running,” Milly said. “After a week I fell in love with the job and haven't looked back since.” Now she is in line to take over the business completely, currently working as venue manager to allow Peter and Polly to step into retired life.
HISTORIC SITE The Inglewood has been in existence since 1857. When a road diversion was built on the route from Adelaide to Kersbrook, it caught the attention of city publican, Firmin Deacon, who took the opportunity to build the Inglewood Inn. It was originally built as a resting stop for the journey to Gumeracha and the River Murray at Mannum. Upon completion of the build, the original publican offered the builders a keg of beer to name the venue.
8 | Hotel SA | W W W . A H A S A . A S N . A U
Overnight they settled on Inglewood, after a forest in the UK where they originated from. Since then it has had a colourful history with many owners. “During the Black Sunday fires in 1955 the balcony on the back was burnt off, leaving the building with no view of the stunning backdrop behind it, except from the female toilet window,” said Milly. “The melted tar can still be seen dripping down the wall in the function room. “It remained this way until eight years ago, when we added on the all-glass extension with guidance from National Trust – finally everyone was able to enjoy the views again!” Today, it is an inn in name only, without accommodation. “It was the first hotel in the State to be proclaimed an historic hotel, in 1974,” Milly said.
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