Mount Hawthorn Hotel (fmr)

Values

· Fine example of a hotel in the Interwar Free Classical style, retaining significant interior detailing throughout, and very intact first floor layout.
· Associations with WA hoteliers Joseph Monaghan, Alfred & Elsie Gillham, and John (Jack) Smith, who operated hotels in many places in the State, and former WAFL footballers Jack Smith and Neil Randall.
· Evidence of the commercial development of Mt Hawthorn in the 1930s at a time when much development in the State was put on hold by the Depression.
· Landmark corner building, especially at time of construction and in early years when the suburb around it was mostly low-scale buildings.
· Continual use as a hotel and accommodation facility from 1932 to the present.

Physical Description

2-storey corner hotel in brick and concrete with terracotta tile roof; ground floor extensively changed to create open-plan pub, but retains much original detailing inc, plaster ceilings, lead-lights (esp. front windows and feature window above staircase), jarrah staircase with original carved timber Buddha statue from India on bottom pillar; upstairs remains largely as constructed – originally built with 21 bedrooms upstairs.

History

·Designed 1930 by Cavanagh & Cavanagh for owner & licensee Joseph Monaghan (long-time hotelier in WA who had previously run Queens Hotel North Perth, Exchange Hotel Kalgoorlie, Metropolitan Hotel Coolgardie, Orient Hotel Fremantle and Globe Hotel Perth), but the project was abandoned and the land sold to Alfred Gillham (b.1890, England). ·Hotel built 1932 to Cavanagh & Cavanagh’s plans, and operated as ‘Mount Hawthorn Hotel’ by Alfred Gillham and his wife Elsie (nee Hartley), who also had long experience in WA hotels, having held the license for at least 7 hotels in the State prior to this place. ·Built in 1930 at the time that the commercial centre of Mt Hawthorn was developing in close proximity. It was the only 2-storey building in the area at the time, and quickly became a local landmark, especially on account of its white-painted walls without verandahs, which were floodlit at night. The hotel had many permanent boarders, including Mrs Sewell, who ran the drapery next door. · Alfred was a well-known and loved publican. The Gillhams lived at the hotel until Elsie’s death in 1952, and Alfred;s move to live with his daughter in 1954. From the late 1930s they operated the place with assistance from Elsie’s sister Ethel Green (and husband Les), brother William Hartley, and children Betty Berghan (and husband Mike) and Hartley Gillham, and these four parties took over ownership in 1956 after Alfred’s death. · In 1955 the first major changes were made at the place, with the ground floor areas being rearranged and the main entrance being shifted to Scarborough Beach Road. · In 1960, the original 3 small ground floor parlours were converted into one large games room, and in 1962 an elevated beer garden, partly enclosed, was built to the rear. New toilets added in 1961 meant that for the first time since construction there was more than one women’s toilet in the building, an indication of changing pub culture in the post-WWII period. · The Gillham and Hartley families sold the hotel in 1968 to Thomas and Dorothy (Rinaldi) Nevill, and the license was taken on by Herbert Coughlan, who had previously operated hotels in Fremantle and Harvey. The business expanded considerably under the new management. · In 1970, the remainder of the elevated beer garden was enclosed with low brick walls and aluminium-frame windows designed to take advantage of the view of Perth. · The place continued to take boarders in the 1970s, including many army personnel and their families who had left Darwin after Cyclone Tracy in 1974. · From 1975 to 1977 the license was held by John Harding, whose brief time at the place created many colourful stories, including taking on bikies gangs outside with a spear gun and thwarting the 1976 Brewers Strike by driving trucks to the East Coast to bring beer back to stock the hotel. The place operated to high acclaim as the Lamplighter Restaurant during this period, but the facilities could not sustain this function as it grew in popularity, and had to return to ordinary ‘pub meals’. The façade displayed the name ‘the Mounty’. · From 1977 to 1986 the place was run by John (Jack) and Joy (Joan?) Smith. Jack had been a well-known WAFL player for East Perth from 1947 to 1956. During this time, despite the ongoing popularity of the hotel, the place was in decline. · In 1984 the place was purchased by the Swanson family, and in 1986 the license was purchased by Dennis Moulton. In common with many businesses in Perth, the hotel was renovated in preparation for the 1987 Americas Cup. Changes were designed by Geoff Warn, including opening up most of the ground floor area to create a large space, enlarging the kitchen, removing the bottle shop (replaced with a new bottle shop to Fairfield Street), removing 1970s suspended ceilings, removing lino, tiles and carpet to reveal the original timber floors, and replacing the tiled bar with a polished jarrah fit-out. · The place was renamed ‘Paddington Ale House’. The character of the hotel changed from its original ‘working class’ local pub, to a more upmarket establishment offering boutique beers and appealing to the 25-35 age group, especially on weekends. This reflected changes in the character of Mt Hawthorn from this period into the 1990s. · In 1989 the lease was taken over by Michael Monteleone and Neil Randall, with Randall taking it on solo from 1994. Randall had also been a prominent WAFL player, with 152 games for Subiaco and 58 for South Fremantle from the 1970s to the 1980s. · Further changes were made to the building in 1998, to designs by Oldfield Knott, with much of the finance for these works raised somewhat controversially by 6 years of skimpies in the public (rear) bar. A new lounge area was created at the rear by the demolition of this bar, and the 1986 partitions between the bar and the Ale House were removed to create a single space. Alfresco dining areas and a garden court yard were created, and the dining room was re-established at the front of the building. The new large space has attracted larger entertainment acts including bands such as Yothu Yindi and Things of Stone and Wood. · In 2002, the adjacent shop was converted to a bottle shop and visually linked to the hotel. · The first floor has been relatively unchanged since its construction in 1932. It continues to provide accommodation for full-time boarders.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

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