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.

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.

COVID-19 CHANGES

Always a jewel of the Adelaide Hills, COVID-19 forced the Inglewood Inn to adapt.

“COVID-19 gave us a unique opportunity to change our business model and try something new,” said Milly.

“It's hard to change your entire business model while in operation, so we utilised the 10-week closure to brainstorm and think about the direction we wanted the business to head in.

“Upon reopening we changed to a set menu on weekends, which really complemented our venue, being a destination venue, and took us away from competing with local pubs.

“We saw an increase in drink spend, with customers wanting higher end local wines to match the menu.

“The best part of this was the feedback, with our online ratings lifting across the board.

“As restrictions have slowly lifted, we have slowly expanded on this menu, bringing some of the ‘pub’ dishes back but with an Australian twist and higher quality.

“It has overall been quite an overwhelming journey over the past year – seeing a general shift in customers appreciation of the industry and desire to support local.

“We now feel like we are mostly back to normal, with restrictions not affecting us too drastically. However, the function and wedding side of things has still been very frustrating.”

Polly, Milly and Peter Howell.

THE VENUE

The Inglewood Inn is a community hub with a fantastic family environment and stunning views.

There are multiple function spaces, the main being the beer deck, which can hold 70-80 people (49 with COVID-19 restrictions). The function room can hold 100 sit down or 150 for cocktail events (84 with COVID-19 restrictions).

Then there are the beautiful gardens. The main functions booked are weddings, with the Inn able to host ceremonies in its creek gardens, with post-ceremony canapes and drinks on the lawns afterwards, before moving inside for the reception.

As for the food on the menu, it is sourced locally and represents the flavours of the area and the State. Main choices include delectable tasting items such as Handmade Pan-Fried Gnocchi; Crispy Australian Squid; Yorke Peninsula Kabuli Chickpea Salad; South Australia Sous Vide Pork; or even Pulled Lobethal Lamb Burgers.

The entrees are equally mouth-watering, with such fare as Butternut Pumpkin and Native Thyme Arancini; Seared Lobethal Lamb Backstrap; Pork, Duck Liver and local Fig Terrine; Confit Ocean Trout; or maybe some Tempura Sesame Tofu?

Vegetarian and vegan diets are also catered for.

The wine list includes such unique names as Unico Zelo, as well as Vinteloper or Saint and Scholar. Then there are the ciders, vodkas and gins (more than 30 local options) available from the 1857 Distillery Bar. Beers include old favourites, such as Coopers and West End, while many local brewers are included, such as Mismatch, Lobethal Bierhaus, Big Shed and Uraida.

THE GHOST

The Inn’s resident ghost, Wilhelma, has been widely chronicled.

Mrs Wilhelma Newman, was heartbroken when her son died and although the

Newman family subsequently left the hotel, Wilhelm’s spirit remains. Staff and customers have reported seeing her on many occasions; she’s said to be friendly and arguably a little mischievous. She has also been caught on video, which can be viewed here on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=418440412167490.

Mrs Wilhelma Newman

“Wilhelma has been talked about for a long time, and is definitely a presence in the Inn,” Milly said.

“We had no idea where she came from, just that her name was Wilhelma. But when we were setting up our 1857 bar, we were sourcing historical photos to put on the wall and we came across the story of the Newmans and the portrait of Wilhelma.

“We have felt her presence in original parts of the Inn – on the stairwell, and in a room where, although having been carpeted, we heard footsteps on floorboards. That room has been converted back to floorboards now.

“Most of the encounters have given the impression that Wilhelma enjoyed being a humourist and enjoyed a bit of fun.

“Whenever anyone asks the staff about the ghost, we always enquire why they’re asking, because it always leads to another interesting tale.”