An Adelaide hotel, Lionel Logue and the future King George VI

At a conference in South Australia in 2014, I went on a tour of Burn­side, a small village in eastern Adelaide. The guide book noted that Burnside became a primarily upper-middle class residential suburb and was one of the first suburbs of Adelaide. Thus there are many grand historic homes still standing, most having impressive views of the city.

The Burnside Council was first established in 1856, having its meetings in the Green Gate Inn. Yet even as late as 1883, the village only contained 45 houses, and a number of shops including a bakery, a hotel and two churches. In that same year, the Adelaide and Suburban Tram Company extended its Kensington horse tram service from Marryatville through to Knightsbridge along Glynburn Road to Burnside. A tramway shed stood on the North Western corner of Greenhill and Glynburn Roads.

Burnside's Old Council Chambers, built in 1869 

photographed after WW1.

The original Burnside Inn stood on land now known as 27 and 29 High Street, and was built for Mrs Francis Clark and sons in 1863. 

From 1865 the small, brick Inn was managed and later owned by Henry Warland. The Warland family must have been financially astute - Henry also ran a blacksmith shop and had a passenger and mail coach that travelled from Burnside to the City. Burnside Inn was an important venue for election meetings and community gatherings. It also served travellers making the steep journey up Greenhill Road to the hills. Lastly we must mention a subdivision in the village which took place in 1877; Henry Warland, who had purchased three lots in 1850, subdivided them into 38 lots.

Replacing the old Burnside Inn, a two-storey stone and red-brick building was constructed in 1883 as the Burnside Hotel at 33 High St. Bought by brewers Edmeades and Co., the new hotel traded from 1884-1909 when it became shops, flats and a private residence. In the late 1980s the stables at the rear were demolished. This building is recorded on the State Heritage Register.

A record exists of all heritage plaques that were installed by cooperation of the Burnside Historical Society and the City of Burnside, starting in 1989. The Burnside Village plaque was placed on the Old Burnside Hotel in 2001. 

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Last week I unexpectedly saw the old Burnside Hotel again, in a real estate article in the Weekend Australian Magazine. This house, which was renovated in 1980 and for sale in 2016, has 7 bedrooms, 2 kitchens, grand formal rooms with high ceilings, intricate cornices, open fireplaces, gorgeous lead lighting, a wine cellar and a coach-house. Since the 1980 renovation, the relatively simple architecture of the ground floor has provided quite separate housing from the more complex architecture of the first floor.

The Old Burnside Hotel 

renovated in 1980.

What caught my attention was the Old Burnside Hotel’s connection to Lionel Logue (1880-1953) and the Duke of York, the future King George VI (1895-1952). Lionel Logue was born in Adelaide. His Irish grandfather, Edward Logue, set up Logue's Brewery in 1850 which, after Edward's death in 1868, merged with the South Australian Brewing Company. Lionel’s father, George Logue, worked at this family brewery and later became licensee of both the Burnside Hotel and "Elephant and Castle Hotel" in the City. George also founded the Adelaide Amateur Musical and Dramatic Society in 1876, and performed on stage regularly.

So Lionel Logue lived in the gorgeous Burnside Hotel because his father George was the publican. The family had made its fortune in the brewery business and young Lionel was living the Good Adelaide Life. He was a pupil at classy Prince Alf­red College (1889-1896), played club football on weekends and studied music at the Elder Conserv­ator­ium. Just as George had been very active in drama and music, Lionel too loved the theatre and appeared in many local productions.

A performing career of some sort seemed inevitable for the lad who had watched his father participating in recitals and plays. And so it was. After his father George died in Nov 1902, Lionel set up his own practice as a teacher of elocution. By 1904, he seemed to be doing well.

Lionel Logue later developed treatments for Australian war ex-servicemen whose speech had been damaged by WW1 shell-shock. In 1924 he took the family to the UK where he taught elocution at schools around London. In 1926, Logue opened a speech-defect practice in fancy Harley Street. This was where he met the Prince Albert Duke of York, a royal who dreaded public speaking because of a horrid stammer. The Duke’s speech at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1925 had been a nightmare.

Dr Lionel Logue, oral instructor to King

Australian Women's Weekly, September 1937

Logue's treatment helped the Duke avoid tension-induced muscle spasms. By 1927, the stuttering royal successfully managed a speech given at the opening of Parliament House in Canberra. Needless to say Logue continued to help Prince Albert rehearse for all his major speeches, his coronation as King George VI, and his radio broadcasts to the war-torn British Empire.

If there is anyone on earth who has not seen the film The King’s Speech (2010), I would recommend they focus on the role played by Geoffrey Rush as Adelaide’s own lad, Lionel Logue. And his princely patient, played by Colin Firth.