New owners for Whanganui's Commercial Hotel

The Commercial Hotel

It's one of the oldest pubs in the country and still operates exactly the same as it has done for well over a century.

It was named The Commercial in 1893.

New owner Kit Edwards' partner Steve Lawson took over the lease of the bar in 2020 and as of this week the couple has bought the premises lock stock and barrel, including the large carpark which occupies the corner of Bell and Bates streets.

The couple will continue to run the pub, as it is, preserving the classic Kiwi pub feel. The "public bar" with leaners and a busy pool table and the back bar still sports the red and gold fleur de lis style wallpaper.

There will be a celebration on Friday, September 9 with resident band The MeanOwls, starting at 7pm.

Dave Griffiths, Matt Edmonds and Thomas Garrett - The MeanOwls on the back lawn. Photos / Georgie Ormond

Kit is keen to bring more live music to the bar; local band The MeanOwls have been playing an old-style "residency" most Fridays since the end of last year and will help facilitate more gigs with different bands over the coming year.

A keen gardener, Kit has transformed one of the outdoor areas, hemming a large lawn with countless roses, citrus trees, flowers and shrubs. It's about to burst forth and in summer a large passionfruit billows over the outbuildings.

The bar will continue to be owner operated and the longevity of The Commercial means many of the patrons' parents, grandparents and great-grandparents frequented the establishment in days gone by.

Some of their very cars still pull into the same carpark. It's not unusual to see a classic Ford Escort or Vauxhall Viva pulling up in the carpark, bought by a grandparent "brand new in 1980".

Throughout the year assortments of pickles and garden produce are brought in by customers who have excess and patrons are free to help themselves or add to it. The table is often heaving with whatever is in season.

The building itself is a classic example of the Kiwi pub and is nestled amongst many architecturally notable and historic buildings occupying the old part of town, including the courthouse, police station and Bill Millbank's Art Gallery. Rick Rudd's Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics walls the carpark.