Fatal fall down a hotel cellar

Port Jackson Hotel 1922.

Port Jackson Hotel 1922.

An inquest was held at the City Coroner’s Court concerning the death of Michael Norris, 56, late licensee of the Port Jackson Hotel,George-street North, which occurred at St. Vincent’s Private Hospital on Sunday last, the result of injuries sustained through falling down a cellar at the rear of the building, on April 15.

Evidence was given that Norris opened a door leading to a passage, and fell through an open trap-door, to the bottom of a cellar. Death was due to hemorrhage of the brain.

The Acting Coroner (Mr. F. B. Mears) in recording a verdict of accidental death remarked, “After I had viewed the body I examined the spot where the fatality occurred, and came to the conclusion that it was a most dangerous thing to have about the house.

– Evening News Friday 13 May 1910.

A History

The Russell Hotel is located at 143-143a George Street, in the The Rocks in the City of Sydney. It was built in 1887 and operated as the Port Jackson Hotel until being delicensed in 1923, after which time a new Port Jackson Hotel was built further along George Street. In 1933, it became the Russell Private Hotel, providing accommodation from the upper floors. The ground floor has been leased for various uses since the original delicensing, initially as a cafe for several decades and most recently as The Push Bar. The property is owned by Property NSW, an agency of the Government of NSW. It was added to the NSW State Heritage Register on 10 May 2002.

– From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Categories: NSW hotels, Publicans

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1 reply

  1. Thomas Parker’s Blue Anchor Hotel was at 178 George Street …https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/edwin-barnards-portrait-of-colonial-childhood-reveals-tough-life-of-working-class-kids/news-story/aabdbc6b6bfa5c2f37eaa0f37c357271https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/221668632/13453008
    Tooth & Co acquired the property in 1905 …https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/252171 (c.1910)
    At some time thereafter it was rebuilt …https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/104379
    and in 1933 the property was renamed the Port Jackson Hotel, presumably due to the PJH licence being transferred there, at that date (not 1923?).
    The hotel was ultimately demolished some time in the 1970s. I wonder where the original Blue Anchor licence went?

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