Coincidence Brought The Cokers To Coker’s Hotel

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29713, 5 January 1962, Page 8

Coincidence Brought The Cokers To Coker’s Hotel

When Mr A. O. Coker, of Ilford, Essex, planned a New Zealand holiday for himself and his wife he chose to stay at Coker’s Hotel in Christchurch, not because of the coincidence of names but because the Automobile Association’s handbook description fitted their requirements They arrived at Coker’s Hotel hst evening after a tour of the West Coast.

Last year, the hotel’s proprietors. Mr and Mrs A, Ballantyne, were touring in Somerset. They chose to stay at a West Coker inn to honour the coincidence and it turned out to be one of the finest in the county. “I hope our guests here will be equally pleased.” said Mrs Ballantyne last evening. There is ho known connexion between the Cokers and the hotel’s founder. Coker's Hotel was named by John Etherden Coker, who built it in 1878. He was born m Bath, served in the Royal Navy and came to Lyttelton in 1861. Coker had a butcher’s business in Christchurch and then established dining rooms and commercial rooms in Cathedral square, which later became an hotel. The hotel was later White's Commercial Hotel and then Warner’s Hotel. Later, Coker built the Criterion Hotel in Gloucester street and for a time was licensee of Whites Commercial Hotel In 1872 he married a widow, Mrs G. Allen, whose first husband owned a large block of land in Manchester street. Coker’s Hotel was built on one of his wife’s sections. Coker became one of the

best-known hotel-keepers in New Zealand. He transferred the licence of Coker’s to Captain Popham in 1890. and later was licensee of the Occidental Hotel in Wellington Not long before his death he held the lease of the New Brighton Hotel.

Coker's Hotel’s dining room is said to have seated 100 guests and in a busy season the writing room could be converted to accommodate 86 more.

The main corridor led to a garden (now the main bar), ornamented by a fountain and summer houses in which to take cups of afternoon tea The billiards room was splendid and the bar was fitted in walnut and decorated in ivory and plate glass. There was a fine staircase and the public rooms were furnished with choice oak pieces, carved by expert artists. Hunting trophies and armour hung on the walls of the lobby. As a fire precaution all the upstairs windows had wire ladders and canvas chutes.

Mr and Mrs Coker were to have spent tonight at the Metropole Hotel, Akaroa, which was destroyed in a fire on Wednesday morning Later they will tour to Milford Sound.

They report that they are well pleased with their tour which they planned after their son visited New Zealand five years ago Mr Coker’s father worked in New Zealand during and after World War I. but left no record of having stayed at his namesake's hotel.