Established by Martin Fitzgerald in 1853, the Hare and Hounds was the
first hotel in St Kilda to have a painting of greyhounds coursing a hare;
coursing being a popular sport at that time.By 1861, with a new licensee JB Kelleher, a name change occurred - the
Court House Hotel, given its proximity to the then Court House.
The Licenses Reduction Board granted a rent rebate
on 14 May 1918, presumably in
response to the post-war decline in patrons.
On 12 December 1948, permission was
granted to licensee Laurie Walsh to rename it the Prince Charles hotel, almost
a month after the birth of the heir to the British throne.
A colourful St
Kilda character in the 1930s, 40s and early 50s, Dulcie ‘Pretty Dulcie’ Markham was a regular at
the Court House.Known as the ‘Angel of
Death’ because at least eight of her lovers, all underworld figures, died from
gunshot or stabbing wounds, Markham’s own record
included a number of offences, prostitution, theft, offensive behaviour
(brawling), and carrying an unlicensed pistol.On one occasion, police apprehended her as she chased a man in the
street, wearing only her underwear and wielding an axe.When questioned, she explained ‘the bastard
insulted me about the price’ (for sex).Characters like Dulcie invested the hotel with a level of notoriety to
the degree than the Court House was referred to as the ‘Blood House’.
The hotel, now known as the St Kilda Inn, is a
popular venue for live music.
