The Hopetoun Hotel – a colonial survivor? by John Walter Ross Cover photos: Top: The Hopetoun Hotel, 2009 Bottom left: The Hopetoun Hotel as the Kilkenny Inn, 1878 (source: Mitchell Library) Bottom right: Okkervil River performing at the Hopetoun, 2005 Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................. 1 Historical Time Line ................................................................................................................................. 3 Part One – the Nineteenth Century ........................................................................................................ 5 Early history of the two hotel sites ..................................................................................................... 5 Land grants and the Rum Rebellion ................................................................................................ 5 The original hotel site ..................................................................................................................... 5 The current hotel site ...................................................................................................................... 5 The Hopetoun Hotel in the nineteenth century ................................................................................. 7 The original location at 471B Bourke Street ................................................................................... 7 The current location at 416 Bourke Street ..................................................................................... 8 The original site reopens ................................................................................................................. 9 Name changes until 1901 ............................................................................................................. 10 Conflicting early street plans ............................................................................................................ 13 James Meehan’s street plan in 1814 ............................................................................................ 13 Thomas Mitchell’s contradictory plan in 1831 ............................................................................. 14 The Great Obstruction ...................................................................................................................... 15 Charles Morris buys into Bourke Street ........................................................................................ 15 Bourke Street is fortified ............................................................................................................... 15 What use is the City Council? ........................................................................................................ 16 Parliament brings in the big guns ................................................................................................. 16 Evolution of pubs and liquor licences ............................................................................................... 17 English pub tradition arrives in the colony ................................................................................... 17 Licensees and lounges................................................................................................................... 17 Early colonial liquor licenses ......................................................................................................... 18 Melbourne starts out as a pub ...................................................................................................... 18 Licensing Act of 1830 .................................................................................................................... 18 The pub as a social leveler ............................................................................................................ 19 Brewing in Australia .......................................................................................................................... 21 A hard way to make a living .......................................................................................................... 21 Lager rescues the brewers ............................................................................................................ 22 The rise of the big breweries ........................................................................................................ 22 Local breweries ................................................................................................................................. 25 Albion Brewery (1827 – 1852) ...................................................................................................... 25 Paddington Brewery (1857 – 1911) .............................................................................................. 26 Early industries in Surry Hills ............................................................................................................. 27 Builders drive the economy .......................................................................................................... 27 Tanning makes its presence felt in the area ................................................................................. 27 Pubs cater for industries and sports ............................................................................................. 28 Neighbouring pubs ............................................................................................................................ 31 Pine Apple Hotel, 84 Fitzroy Street (1845 – 1891) ........................................................................ 32 Yorkshireman’s Retreat, 67 Fitzroy Street (1866 – 1873) ............................................................. 32 Rifleman’s Arms, 75 Fitzroy Street (1872 – 1922) ........................................................................ 33 Cricketers’ Arms, 106-108 Fitzroy Street (1879 – ) ....................................................................... 33 Austral Hotel, corner of Bourke & Foveaux Streets (1882 – 1922) .............................................. 33 Beresford Hotel, 354 Bourke Street (1870 – )............................................................................... 34 Pelican Hotel, 409-411 Bourke Street (1853 – 1922) ................................................................... 34 Dolphin Hotel, 412-414 Crown Street (1856 – ) ........................................................................... 35 Carrington Hotel, 563-5 Bourke Street (1877 – ) .......................................................................... 35 Nearby heritage buildings ................................................................................................................. 37 Durham Hall, 207 Albion Street. .................................................................................................. 38 Former Wesleyan Chapel, 348A Bourke Street. ........................................................................... 38 Surry Hills Academy and Seminary, 346-348 Bourke Street and 8 Short Street. .......................... 39 Sports and games .............................................................................................................................. 41 Quoits and cricket at the Hopetoun ............................................................................................. 41 Games for young and old in pubs ................................................................................................. 41 Sport becomes more organized .................................................................................................... 42 Coronial inquests .............................................................................................................................. 43 Hotels required to host inquests .................................................................................................. 43 But not in my local pub ................................................................................................................. 43 Accommodation ................................................................................................................................ 45 The pub as the main place of accommodation ............................................................................. 45 Long-term rental for city locals ..................................................................................................... 45 Women in pubs ............................................................................................................................. 45 Pub food ............................................................................................................................................ 47 The alehouse model of pub dining ............................................................................................... 47 The free lunch – too good to last .................................................................................................. 47 The coming of the bistro ............................................................................................................... 48 Pub dining goes back to the future ............................................................................................... 48 Out-of-hours trading ........................................................................................................................