THE HISTORY ABOUT THE INN
The John Jack Inn has a rich history.
John Jack, a Scott, and his partner, August Simmer, a German, came from Durban to Lake Chrissie in 1882 on their way to the Rand to seek their fortune. In case you recognize the name “Simmer and Jack” you will realise that they were finally hugely successful mining magnates.
Back in Lake Chrissie, they erected various sandstone buildings including stables (now a craft gin distillery), a gin depot (now The Gin Shop) and a small hotel. They also planted two oaks which remain silent witnesses to the passing years. The original hotel, which is behind the John Jack Inn, is a small 3-room sandstone building, and remains largely untouched since original construction, but now available as a bespoke self-catering unit.
In 1903 the hotel was re-built in wood and corrugated iron and enlarged to pretty much what you see today and named Lake Chrissie Hotel. In its early days, the hotel was the center of social life in Lake Chrissie and a convenient stop-off for travelers to and from the lowveld, visiting officials and businessmen. Gossipers suggest that the hotel may have as many secrets to share as the oaks.
Over the years, its name changed a few times, first Dumbarton Oaks, then Mrs. Price’s, each adding to its rich tapestry of stories. The Hotel burnt to the ground in 1936 forcing Anthony Price and his family to bid farewell to Lake Chrissie. They returned in 1944, but the destroyed hotel was not rebuilt, and the remaining buildings functioned as a liquor store and a “tearoom”.
Fast forward to 2012, when the past seamlessly merged with the present. John Jack Inn was rebuilt to closely replicate the original hotel using period building materials. The interiors of the rooms have been fitted out to recreate some of the romance and nostalgia of a bygone era.
