The Earl of Aberdeen (Coopers Ale House) began it's existance as the Devon Arms Hotel which has been licensed since 1850. The Devon Arms was situated on the busy coach route that ran from Pulteney Street, through Hanson Street (then known as Bull's Creek Road and now Pulteney Street) and on to Unley, Mitcham, Clarendon, Meadows and Bull's Creek.

Coming from the direction of Mount Barker, for seven years the Devon Arms Hotel was the first hotel travellers encountered when entering the city. Then with the near by building of the Green Dragon Hotel and the Labour in Vain (later to be known as the Perseverence and then Hanson Hotel) started to undermine the trade of the Devon Arms Hotel.

By 1867 the rate assessment books showed a dramatic upsurge in development around Hurtle Square of which the Devon Arms was located.

On the 1st of January the South Australian Register carried the following description " A nice building of the same kind (hotel) is going up in place of a small one which stood on the corner of Carrington Street and Hanson Street (now Pulteney Street).

In 1924, the Earl of Aberdeen building was extended to the north. To unite the two buildings a verandah/balcony was erected across the Pulteney Street and Carrington Street Facades.

Situated on the same thoroughfare into the city, the Devon Arms, Green Dragon and Labour in Vain were competing against each other for business. Facing up to the competition, the Devon Arms was updated, developing a new hotel on the same alotment and renamed The Earl of Aberdeen (as shown in the Smith Survey of the City of 1880).

1879 - 11.09.1880.........................Walker, T.
12.09.1880 - 1881.........................Eunson, J.
? - 11.09.1881................................Meegan, H.
12.09.1881 - 1882.........................Burns, Isabella
? - 11.09.1882...............................Juereit, J. A.
12.09.1882 - 1883.........................Creaser, W.
08.02.1883 - ..................................Creaser, Mrs. E.
1883 - 8.12.1884...........................Wells, T.
09.12.1884 - 1885.........................Fishleigh, W. and Hill, R.
1885.................................................Thompson, W.
1885 - 13.06.1887.........................Creaser, Mrs. E.
14.06.1887 - 12.09.1887..............Court, W.
13.09.1887 - 1890..........................Keyes, G.
1891.................................................Barnett, saml.
1892 - 1909....................................Newell, J. H.
1910 - 1917....................................Mayfield, W. E. and
Richardson,?
1918 - 1927....................................Mayfield, W. E.
1930 - 01.03.1931........................Bartrum (Bartram ?),
Mrs. Ethel E.
02.03.1931 - 10.07.1932............Kennedy, Geo. C.

11.07.1932 - 21.06.1936..............Ryan, Mildred J.
(and Ryan, T. ?)
22.06.1936 - 25.07.1937..............Bartrum, Sydney R.
26.07.1937 - 11.05.1941..............Thompson, Merton Joseph
12.05.1941 - 04.07.1944..............Thompson, Merton Maxwell John
05.07.1944 - 12.09.1946..............Faul, Leonard Thomas
13.09.1946 - 15.04.1950..............White, Edward Harold
16.04.1950 - 26.07.1951..............Leaver, Dudley Joseph
27.07.1951 - 12.07.1952..............McKee, David Hugh
13.07.1952 - 02.08.1952..............Pierce, Kevin Francis
03.08.1952 - 09.02.1957..............Fuller, Ross George Samuel
10.02.1957 - 05.12.1962..............Faul, Leonard Thomas
06.12.1962 - 08.12.1962..............Pierce, Kevin Francis
09.12.1962 - 25.10.1968..............Papandrea, Raffael
Angelo
26.10.1968 - 04.10.1970..............Corcoran, John Bryan and Mary Josephine
05.10.1970 - 25.10.1970..............Corcoran, Kevin Thomas
26.10.1970 - 24.09.1972..............Corcoran, John Bryan
and Mary Josephine
25.09.1972 - 29.10.1973..............Corcoran, John Bryan

30.10.1973 - 04.07.1976..............Cook, Frederick John and Mollie
05.07.1976 - 27.10.1977 .............Rose, Iain McPherson and Jean Stuart
28.10.1977 - 19.01.1980...............Eagan, Haydn Christopher
20.01.1980 - 04.02.1980..............Mules, Phillip John
05.02.1980 - 08.04.1980..............Eagan, Haydn Christopher
09.04.1980 - 08.06.1983..............Buchanan, Mostyn James and Beryl Margaret
09.06.1983 - 1986.........................Schulze, Francis Ernest
28.10.1986 - 15-03-1987.............Schmidt, Anthony Charles
02.07.1987 - 18-08-1988.............Lim, Steven Tien Cho
02.07.1987 - 1992.........................Lim, Steven Tien Cho
29.09.1992 - 1997.........................Eyears, Robert
15-01-1998 - 20-09-2010........... Oliver J Porter
21-09-2010 -

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