History

Hope Valley was more the result of random settlement than of actual town planning. Jacob Pitman first purchased an 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) section (Section 824) in 1839. In the early 1840s he sold a few allotments. One such allotment was purchased by William Holden in 1841, on which he set up a butcher and general store business. The site of this store was around the present corner of Grand Junction and Valley Roads. Holden is credited with naming the area "Hope Valley" after returning home in 1842 to find that his house and business had burnt down in a bushfire. But speculation only remains of his reasoning for the name.

Hope Valley was mainly settled by German emigrants

German settlement in Australia

German settlement in Australia began in large numbers in 1838, with the arrival of immigrants from Prussia to Adelaide, South Australia. German immigrants became prominent in settling South Australia and Queensland...

 escaping religious persecution. Holden spoke German and often acted as interpreter. This is seen as a reason many Germans moved to Hope Valley from Klemzig

Klemzig, South Australia

Klemzig is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. It is the location of the first settlement of German emigrants to Australia in the 19th century and is named after a village near the city of Zuellichau in southeastern Brandenburg in the German state of Prussia, where they...

 approximately six kilometres away. In 1847 Hermann Friedrich Koch purchased 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) of Section 824 and applied for a licence to open a public house - the Bremen Arms. The Bremen Arms was the venue for much of the settlement's meetings in those early days, but since 1905 has been known simply as The Bremen. The original rough stone building has since been encapsulated by a 1970s plain brick structure, which has been expanded on many occasions. Recent renovations have uncovered a curious art deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 style corner complete with a sea green round window. This has since been recovered, and the original stonework arches have been exposed and re-pointed

Stonemasonry

The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures...

 in 2010.

In 1849 William Holden formed a committee to establish a school in the area. One acre of land on Grand Junction Road, west of the Bremen Arms, was purchased. The land was then divided into three sections for: a schoolhouse, cemetery, and playground. Also in that year Hope Valley became part of the postal route from Adelaide to Mount Torrens

Mount Torrens, South Australia

Mount Torrens is a town in the eastern Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, 46 kilometres east-north-east of the state capital, Adelaide and 8 km east of Lobethal along the Onkaparinga River. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area...

 and Holden assumed the role of Postmaster.

In 1872 the earthworks that formed the Hope Valley Reservoir

Hope Valley Reservoir

The Hope Valley Reservoir is a 2840 megalitre service reservoir in Hope Valley, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.When completed in 1873 it was the second reservoir constructed in Adelaide; it is the oldest still in use in South Australia. It covers and is retained behind a ...

 began, one of Adelaide's larger bodies of water.

Present day

Hope Valley has since been assimilated as a suburb of the City of Tea Tree Gully and Greater Metropolitan Adelaide. The entire area is now residential, focused around the Hope Valley Shopping Centre. The Bremen's current incarnation stands on the same block. The Institute still stands mostly as it was first built in 1921 and the old section of the cemetery still contains gravestones of some of the original settlers.
Just up the road from The Bremen hotel, on the northern side of Grand Junction Road is Torrens Valley Christian School

Torrens Valley Christian School

Torrens Valley Christian School is a non-denominational private school school providing a distinctive christian environment to approximately 600 reception to year 12 students. The school is situated in Hope Valley, South Australia.- History :...

, a local private non-denominational Christian school.

Further reading

• Auhl, Ian (1993) From Settlement to City - A History of the District of Tea Tree Gully 1836 - 1976, 1976 - 1993, City of Tea Tree Gully, Modbury South Australia.