A FEW hours after he broke into the cellar of the Grose Farm Hotel, Joseph Byrnes was found asleep in the bar after polishing of a bottle of whiskey and two bottles of wine. Byrnes, who was almost totally deaf… Read More ›
Sydney hotels
Regents Park Hotel: The Publican verse the Salvationist
By MICK ROBERTS © One of the more notorious incidents in almost a century of trading at the Regents Park Hotel in Sydney’s west was when the publican booted out a Salvation Army officer, who was collecting donations and selling… Read More ›
Tragic death of the founder of Prospect’s Royal Cricketers’ Arms
FORMER publican, Jim Manning had been missing for over 24 hours when his son discovered his blood saturated body in bushland in Sydney’s west in 1927. Jim’s death at the age of 73 was a tragic end to the life… Read More ›
Bondi cab driver’s brilliant method of lubricating his Sunday social club
WE’RE an inventive lot, us Australians. When obstacles are put in our way – especially when it comes to enjoying a beer with mates – we can become quite imaginative. In fact, in Bondi cab-driver, Cec Hayne’s case, resourcefully clever…. Read More ›
Cornish builder responsible for Sydney’s Centennial Hall and St Mary’s Cathedral, also constructed and hosted Woolloomooloo’s Merryfield Hotel
LARGELY unheralded for his many notable building projects, Cornish builder, Richard Merrifield Nancarrow was responsible for an imposing pub that traded at Woolloomooloo, in Sydney’s east, for almost a century. The Merryfield Hotel, which sadly called last drinks in 1972… Read More ›
Paddy Larkin’s pub at Sydney Central Station
FACING Sydney’s George Street, stark and unwelcoming concrete stairs, replace where the Prince of Wales Hotel at Haymarket once traded for over 115 years. Demolished in 1970, the Prince of Wales Hotel sat between Rawson Place and Barlow Street, opposite… Read More ›
Feature pub: Agincourt Hotel, Broadway Sydney
THE Hotel Agincourt opened in Sydney in 1897 replacing an earlier hotel by the name of the Turon on the same site. The hotel was named in honour of the ‘Battle of Agincourt’, an English victory in the Hundred Years’ War. It took place on 25… Read More ›
The General Gordon’s back! The Pride of Sydenham rises from the ashes
WHEN the General Gordon Hotel opened for business at Sydenham in 1932, “news travelled like wildfire, and thirsty individuals scrambled for places in the bar”, the Sydney Sun newspaper reported. The reason? There was free beer served between 5.15pm and… Read More ›
Feature pub: AB Hotel (Ancient Briton) Hotel, Glebe, NSW
Originally named the Ancient Briton, this Sydney hotel has served the local community since the 1860s. It remains trading at 225 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe. “From 1898 Tooths began its move to control the drink trade in Glebe and by… Read More ›