By Correspondent
The Kopje area of Harare is endowed with some of the oldest buildings in dating to pre-independence times.
Most buildings are either in Kaguvi Street (formerly Pioneer Street) or Harare Street, or Mbuya Nehanda Street (formerly Victoria Street).
At the corner of Robert Mugabe, formerly Manica Road and Kaguvi Street is one such building, The Queen’s Hotel.
The facility was initially opened on 31 December 1899 on the eve of the twentieth century according to ZimField Guide.
It consisted of a single storey building on the corner of Robert Mugabe Road and Kaguvi Street.
The then affluent hotel had a billiards room, bar and a dining room which was equipped with a stage and acetylene lamps.
A “U”- shaped block on the adjacent stand 418 behind comprised the bedrooms.
The first proprietor was George Farthing who purchased the hotel in 1904 when it featured significantly in the town’s early social and civic history.
According to Study Circle, “disputes between the town’s citizens and the Council, or the BSA Company, often resulted in stormy meetings at the Queen’s Hotel.
However, between 1905 and 1950 a rickshaw service, called the Salisbury rickshaw service, operated between the hotel.
Over the years the place has lost its lustre and shine as it was last renovated in 2010.
It has been shunted among different operators and currently hosts an informal restaurant and a lodge.
One can visit the place for a plate of sadza for less than US$2 or a drink in the former foyer area, changed into a sitting lounge.
The Queen’s Hotel is now sandwiched by a litany of small shops peddling vehicle parts and accessories.
It’s a far cry from it’s past glory when it hosted the elites of the then Salisbury.