History

One of South Australia's most colourful Inns was the Kentish Arms, founded by a first class cricketer from England John Collard Cocker, the "Father of S.A. cricket". He brought cricket equiptment from his homeland and instilled interest of cricket among the colonists and established on Mann Tce, the Kent and Sussex Cricket Club with club rooms at the Kentish Arms. John Cocker designed Adelaide Oval and laid out the first pitch.

Over a century and a quarter this hotel has seen many incidents worthy of record when the Inn contributed a large part to the community life of the young colony. The Pintabis Corroborrees nearby, the sing songs round the back parlour organ, the gay times, the"wakes" were some of them. Many suggestions were made for the erection of a memorial on the site to commemorate the great pioneer of cricket and the hotel industry.