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 ›
Sydney hotels
Cornish builder responsible for Sydney’s Centennial Hall and St Mary’s Cathedral, also constructed and hosted Woolloomooloo’s Merryfield Hotel
By MICK ROBERTS © 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… 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 ›
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 ›
Constables nabbed for New Year’s Eve drinks at Erskineville’s Imperial Hotel
FOUR Sydney police constables were caught-out on New Year’s Eve 1929 when they called into an Erskineville pub for after hours’ celebratory drinks with the publican. Constables Robert Ramsay, Alfred Costello, William Mowbray and William Grover were each fined 10… Read More ›
Melbourne chef brings fine dining to Sydney pub
WHILE many believe that the added attraction of fashionable eateries into Australian pubs is a new phenomenon, here’s a little “advertorial” from Sydney newspaper, Australian Star on August 8 1903, that would suggest otherwise. Here’s a picture which partly shows… Read More ›
Carlton & United Breweries rolling out 2,000 barrels of free beer to help pubs through pandemic
Carlton & United Breweries is rolling out 2,000 barrels of free beer to help pubs and clubs survive the coronavirus crisis. Having already raised more than $1 million in cash for struggling pubs and clubs through the For the Love… Read More ›