London Hotel, Albany

London Hotel Albany from south
London Hotel from corner of York St and Stirling Tce

The London Hotel is a hotel located on Stirling Terrace overlooking Princess Royal Harbour in Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.[1]

The current building was built in 1909 for the sum of £7,000. The building was designed by architect J. Herbert Eales.[2] The proprietor was Harry C. Sims, with work completed by contractor A. Thompson. It was built on the site of the Chusan Hotel which had stood on the site since 1849 and was rebuilt in 1871.[3]

When it was constructed the two storey brick built hotel was plastered and surrounded by large spacious balconies. The entrance hall was reminiscent of an English mansion; a 22 ft (7 m) by 20 ft (6 m) drawing room opened onto the balcony, as did the dining room of similar proportions. The public bars were located on the ground floor.[2] Sims remained the proprietor of the hotel until 1918.[4]

London Hotel entry

In 1930 the hotel was put up for auction and was sold to E. S. Cowan, a local resident, for £7500.[5] Following the death of Cowan the hotel was again put up for auction in 1935 and was passed in for £4,750. The property was subsequently sold privately to Mrs R. Ruse of Mount Barker.[6]

Kester Solomon, a professional gambler, took over the hotel in 2009 and transformed the interior, creating a European style coffee bar and a New York style cocktail bar. The hotel, now known as Liberte, has been refurbished with timber floors, regal wallpaper, mantelpieces and gilded mirrors.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Albany". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 1 June 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 "A luxurious palace at Albany". The Daily News. XXVIII, (10,746). Western Australia. 13 November 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 22 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "London Hotel". InHerit. Heritage Council of Western Australia. 8 February 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  4. ↑ "Advertising". The Daily News. XXXVII, (13,658). Western Australia. 11 December 1918. p. 1. Retrieved 22 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ "London Hotel". The Daily News. XLIX, (17,140). Western Australia. 10 April 1930. p. 8. Retrieved 23 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "Property market". The West Australian. 51, (15,383). Western Australia. 12 October 1935. p. 6. Retrieved 23 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ Shirley Sinclair (10 August 2011). "Poker king takes a punt". Sunshine Coast Daily. Australian Regional Media. Retrieved 27 May 2016.

Coordinates: 35°01′36″S 117°52′59″E / 35.0268°S 117.8831°E / -35.0268; 117.8831

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