the Rose & Crown (Perth, WA)

 hotel, restaurant, bar, accommodation, historical building

www.rosecrown.com.au/
This Year Celebrating 175 years - WA Oldest Operating Hotel amongst only a few original country classic georgian pubs in Australia situated in Perths Historic Guildford.
A truly impressive Western Australian landmark, the stately Rose & Crown set on 2.5 acres commands a prominent position among the variety of shops and cafés gracing leafy Swan Street in Guildford.
This historic hotel, built in 1841 and ideally located at the gateway to the state's Swan Valley region, has provided a welcome resting place for travellers and visitors.
Registered with the National Trust, the Rose & Crown has stood the test of time and today is a popular attraction among locals and touriThe heritage-listed Rose & Crown is the oldest hotel in the state and the third oldest licensed hotel in Australia. In 1839, when the colony of Western Australia was little more than a decade old, Thomas Jecks opened a general store in Guildford. Soon after, in 1841, he extended the scope of that business to include a licensed inn. The main building – known as the Rose & Crown Inn – is Georgian in style. It was built from local, hand-made bricks laid in a Flemish bond, while the steeply pitched roof, constructed from indigenous and English hardwoods, was formerly covered in timber shingles. The most recent restoration of the Rose & Crown by Mark and Tracy Weber, owners since 2004, showcases many of the original details.

The beams are herringbone strutted, held in position with hand made nails, rather like the old fashioned horseshoe nails

Opened in 1841 as a licensed hotel, the main two-storey Rose & Crown building sits on approximately 2.5 acres of land in tree-lined Swan Street, Guildford. The hotel is basically symmetrical in plan, with a corridor running through the middle on the ground and first floors. The one original ground-floor room that remains virtually intact is the 1841 Dining Room; the other was divided into a foyer area and private dining room. On the first floor (originally the manager's residence), four Heritage Suites line either side of the central corridor. Fully renovated, with a classical theme, they incorporate modern facilities such as spa baths and plasma TVs.

There are extensive cellars below the hotel. In one, a well was sunk through the floor. Originally, a tunnel from the main cellar to the shores of the nearby Swan River facilitated the movement of stores from barges into the building, and to this day stories relating to the tunnel abound. Magnificent beams – measuring a sizeable 20 cm by 5 cm and believed to be of English redwood – support part of the hotel floor, as well as a section of the restaurant. Herringbone-strutted, they are held in position with hand-made nails that resemble old-fashioned horseshoe nails. Mystery surrounds an inscription dated 1837 on one of these cellar beams.

1860s – courthouse and public meetings

In 1863, court hearings, presided over by a travelling judge, were held at the Rose & Crown, as were public meetings. The Inn is reported to have charged the sum of five shillings per meeting.

1880-90s

A single-storey addition to the Rose & Crown, built in 1890 and comprising the east wing of the hotel building, originally encompassed a bar, restaurant and lodgings for weary travellers. Much later, in the 1970s, when motel accommodation was added and the hotel renovated, this east wing was transformed into a restaurant and ballroom used primarily for weddings. Today, following the most recent renovations, this area, aptly named the Posh Convict, contains a stylish restaurant and wine bar that attract locals and visitors alike.

Built in about 1880, the Stables – located directly behind the hotel and characterised by Dutch gable ends facing south and a small turret in the centre at the back – also have an intriguing history, having served as accommodation for both camels and single men. Now splendidly restored, the Stables provide an opportunity to experience a stay-over steeped in history (although, sadly, the camels have long since departed).
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