The Mitre Tavern was first opened by Major Hornbook in 1848 as a sly grog shop.  It was well in business when the first four sailing ships arrived in Lyttelton.  The premises are noted as the first pub in Canterbury and probably the first commercial premises.

According to the history books, the Mitre Tavern has already had three lives. The first in 1849 when Major Alfred Hornbrook had the hotel commissioned and built.  Initially it was the only sizeable establishment in Lyttelton and hosted all the important early meetings in the settlement.  This establishment survived the great fire in 1870 only to be consumed by flames in 1875.

The then new Mitre was much grander than the last. Again constructed out of wood the hotel boasted a Kauri paneled commercial room, billiard room, a range of guest rooms and servants accommodation.  The new building was proudly opened for business in September 1876.

Tragically fire was to beset the hotel again.  In July 1926 the wooden building was gutted.  The current, and third, Mitre building is in fact a concrete structure not brick as commonly thought. It is for this reason, that it has survived the earthquakes. The building is a California mission style art deco building, and is an early example of use of modern concrete.

The September 2010 earthquake resulted in mainly non-structural damage to the lath and  plaster ceilings and walls. The main fireplace and chimney in the upstairs lounge were damaged although still stood.  In the bar there were some wall cracks near both toilet facilities.

The February 2011 earthquake was devastating in Lyttelton. The west wall moved out 150mm and upstairs was basically trashed.  The main chimney and fireplace collapsed.  Within ten days structural engineers had managed to pull in both bowing walls and stabilised the building with the use of thick steel cable and turfers. The walls were effectively tied back to internal elements of the building.  This technique was pioneered on other heritage buildings after the September 2010 earthquake.  It was highly effective and prevented further damage to these walls from aftershocks.  The Mitre Hotel was intending to reopen the bar but structural engineers assessed the damage as unsafe for a public building.

The June 2011 earthquake caused further damage, with the north wall incurring a serious degree of damage.  The gas brick fire place collapsed in the bar.

The existing Mitre Hotel building has a Heritage Category 2 Classification.  Structural engineers are assessing all possible options for the repair of the building. The likely solutions so far are strengthening the street facing walls with Shotcrete [the process of conveying concrete or mortar through a hose, pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface] and bracing with a steel internal structure.  North and west walls may need to be rebuilt.

There is an enormous amount of capital involved in such a repair and earthquake strengthening project. It is well beyond the cover offered by insurance.    To make the repair and recovery project more viable it is intended to establish four residential apartments on the first floor.  This could be a welcome accommodation addition to a new and vibrant Lyttelton.  There are however major town planning hurdles and Building Act issues that can make restoration extremely difficult.

Both the building owner and publican have sustained severe personal loss from the earthquakes.  It just strengthens their resolve to move forward.

This article was prepared by Tony Ward on behalf of the building owner.  The Lyttelton Harbour Information Centre wishes to thank the owners for sharing this news with the community during an extremely difficult time.  If any of our readers feel they can help support the Mitre Hotel owners in anyway, we can pass on the contact details for Tony Ward.