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A 96-year-old Drury pub will be replaced with fast-food outlets and a service station as redevelopment plans for the busy growth corridor move ahead.
Murphy’s Law Irish Bar on Great South Road closed the doors to its restaurant and bar on Sunday, August 24, with the sports bar closing a couple of weeks later.
The hotel opened in 1929 as Ye Jolly Farmer Inn, replacing the original Drury Hotel, which was destroyed by fire. At the time, the Auckland Star reported the new building was constructed “on the same lines as many of the inns to be met within the Old Country”, reflecting its traditional English-style design.
The site will be subdivided into six lots under an approved consent. Development plans show at least one fast-food restaurant, plus a major service station, with McDonald’s, KFC and a 24-hour Gull fuel station among the incoming operators.
The owners of Murphy’s Law have purchased land elsewhere with the intention of rebuilding the pub and reusing heritage elements from the original structure, including windows, doors and selected fittings.
Read more: Costco to open second NZ store at Drury in 6.4-hectare land deal
Read more: Remembering the Jolly Farmer
The project comes as Drury undergoes a rapid transformation, driven by large-scale housing, transport and commercial investment linked to the emerging Drury Metropolitan development.
Franklin resident Earl Banks told the Franklin Times he started taking photographs of the old pub last year.
“I was told it was going to be taken down, so I wanted to record a bit of the history and changes around Drury.
“My grandson Noah was born in Drury, and we always walked to the dairy with him in his pram past the pub, so I wanted Noah to have some memories of what it once looked like as he is four years old now.”
