Ancient Briton Hotel Naseby

Heritage Accommodation at it's most classic. The first 'Ancient Briton' was among several rural Otago hotels to be constructed in 1863, the year a great snow took the lives of many miners at Gorge Creek, Fruitlands.

Back in the gold rush days, the comfort of a fire and a meal was essential to miners, living in huts and tents, in a land of hoar frosts and months of frozen ground. This is why there used to be one hotel for every 200ish miners.

While many of the hotels faded out after the mining days, some survived and this is one of them, possibly because the building is actually a brick 1900 replacement for the early 1863 timber model. It has five fireplaces in the restaurant and bar alone, meaning it is still the warmest place in town. The central Otago traditional sport of curling, (bowls on ice) has also survived the intervening years and The Ancient Briton can organise your curling experience.

The bricks have been rendered, but the internal shape and features of the Ancient Briton are not too different to their 1900 origins, the accommodation is still inviting and the fires still roar. Out the back there is a lodge with additional rooms, some in motel style.

When in Naseby, places to visit are the Naseby Tiny Library, the Golf Course, and Motoring museum.

BOOK YOUR STAY AT THE ANCIENT BRITON NASEBY

Image Credits: Booking.com