Simon Watson-- The Watsons
Simon’s family has been in the Carlton area since the 1860s-70s. Originally, this was a slum area. It had many Jewish residents in the 1870s and 1880s. The Italians came to the area much later.
Simon’s family has Italian ancestors. Three sisters came from Pisa in the 1870s and married into different families, one of which was the Watson’s. Jimmy Watson was Simon’s grandfather. He was one of the early residents of Melbourne involved in European style food and wine.
Jimmy Watson worked in bars around Melbourne and bought a rough wine bar in 1935. This served fortified wine, which was then seen as a source of substance abuse. The business had a Victorian-style shop front and the family lived above. Jimmy changed the nature of the business, refusing to serve drunkards and switching from fortified wine to table wine. The emphasis shifted to serving wine with food, European style.
University lecturers, who had been exposed to Continental influences, gravitated to the place. During World War 2, a lot of servicemen patronized it.
In 1962, Jimmy Watson died and the business passed to his son (Simon’s father). There was also a refurbishment of the building in that year. The current building is essentially the same as in 1962.
The business has evolved over the years and needs to keep changing to be successful. A lot of patrons are Carlton locals. Students used it a lot in the past, but not so much now, because of competing businesses that cater to them.
Simon’s father is now aged 81 and still works there. There is at present no indication that a fourth generation will take it on.
There is a Jimmy Watson Trophy given the Melbourne Show for wine. This was established by the wine community in memory of Jimmy when he died and is very prestigious.
Simon was asked a question about how two of the rooms in the business became called the House of Lords and the House of Commons. These were groups that met regularly to enjoy wine. The Lords were a group of University staff and doctors. The Commons was another group that met and included some prominent people. It is a myth that the Commons were a student group while the Lords were a university staff group.