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 ›
Sydney hotels
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 ›
Assembly Hotel, Sydney: Proud beauty scorns the demon rum
YOU can see Sydney’s only religious cockatoo any time in the saloon bar of the Assembly Hotel, Phillip-street. The cockatoo, called Smith, lives there, but he — Refuses alcohol of any kind, and cannot be tricked. He is shown turning… Read More ›
Pubs also defied government health orders during 1919 Spanish influenza pandemic
THE 2020/21 Covid-19 pandemic is not the first time an infectious disease has forced the closure of Australian pubs. Between January and September 1919, pneumonic influenza, commonly known as the ‘Spanish Flu’, killed 6,387 people in NSW, infecting as many… Read More ›
Plaza Hotel, Sydney had the first fully automated glass washing machine in NSW
THE first automated glass-washing machine in New South Wales, and the second in Australia, was installed in the bar of the Plaza Hotel, above Wynyard Railway Station, George Street, Sydney in 1946. When Plaza Hotel manager, Alphonse Parer switched on… Read More ›