Exchange Hotel, Pinjarra

Statement of Significance

Exchange Hotel includes the remnants of two Victorian Georgian style buildings (c. 1866).
One of the original buildings appears to be substantially intact, and a remnant of the other
building can be seen in a gable to the northeast.
The surviving c.1866 building at Exchange Hotel is rare as part of the oldest remaining hotel
in the Peel Region, and one of the oldest building in the Region.
Exchange Hotel has high integrity, having operated continuously as a hotel since 1871 until
it closed in 2008.
Exchange Hotel has a close association with the development and growth of Pinjarra.
Exchange Hotel has social value as a former centre of community life in Pinjarra, and as
such is valued by the community.

Physical Description

Exchange Hotel is a single-storey interconnected complex, the earliest of which dates from
c.1866 and was originally constructed of rendered brick with a shingle roof. Various
alterations and additions have been made to the place since its construction.

History

Dr Thomas Forrester Bedingfeld was appointed Magistrate and Medical Officer to the
Murray District in March 1864. Bedingfeld initially resided at Creaton Estate, though
purchased lots 85-89, located between George Street and the river, the area containing the
future Exchange Hotel, in December 1865. Here he constructed a residence which later
became the core of the Exchange.
James Rummer Greenacre had arrived in Western Australia in 1863 as a warder on the
Tartar, a convict ship. In 1870, he resigning from police duty, and was recorded as ‘an
efficient and well conducted officer’.
In 1870, Greenacre was granted a licence for the Queen’s Hotel near South Dandalup from
the Cornish family. He boasted of twenty years of ‘London experience’ running hotels. By
1871 he had purchased lots 85-89 in George Street from Dr Bedingfeld and opened
Exchange Hotel, transferring the licence from the Queen’s Hotel to his new premises. At the
same time, Dr Bedingfeld moved into the Queen’s Hotel as a residence. This property swap
is said to have given rise to the name Exchange Hotel.
The earliest known photograph of Exchange Hotel shows it to be of smooth rendered
masonry with shingle roofing. It was comprised of two sections, each rectangular in plan
and aligned parallel to the road, but the design of the roofs strongly suggests that the rear
section is an addition to link the two buildings which comprised the original residence.
The front (south-east) corner of the forward section features arches to the south and east
walls, creating an entry area, with a sign above the entry reading ‘Exchange Hotel: J. R.
Greenacre’. The verandahs are covered in vines, indicating that the front section was wellestablished
by the time the photograph was taken. In 1876, the hotel was described as
having a ‘large public room’, which could accommodate thirty diners.
The Perth to Bunbury mail service started in early 1880, passing through Pinjarra. With loads
of passengers now arriving, a large hotel was needed, and arrangements were
made to use the Exchange, which rapidly became the most significant hotel in the area.
James Greenacre died in 1885. His wife Sarah lived until 1901, at which time she was
survived by two children.
In late 1884, the Exchange was offered for auction, and in February 1885 Samuel
Butterworth applied for a license for the place. The hotel was described as three bedrooms,
two setting rooms and outbuildings. In 1888, Butterworth advertised the hotel as ‘an
excellent place to spend summer holidays.’ Southern Advertiser, 10 April 1888, p. 3
The Perth-Pinjarra section of the railway opened in May 1893, and the Pinjarra-Bunbury
section in the following August, bringing more visitors
Exchange Hotel became the meeting place for a variety of groups and local sporting events
including family picnics, cricket and horse racing. The grounds of the hotel were used by a
circus run by J. B. Hayes in 1889.
In 1893, Edward Reynolds took on the license and advertised that a ‘Hotel Bus’ would meet
all trains stopping in Pinjarra, so that ‘passengers desiring refreshments’ could be taken to
the hotel and back free of charge. In addition, Reynolds noted that Pinjarra was a first-class
health resort which offered excellent fishing potential.
In 1894, Edward McLarty built a new hotel in Pinjarra, the ‘Premier’, closer to the railway
station than the Exchange. By January 1895, the former landlord of the Exchange,
Reynolds, had become the proprietor of the new venture. Adding to the attraction of a new
hotel, Reynolds arranged a steam launch to run visitors to the estuaries.
It is not clear what immediately happened to the Exchange after Reynolds left for its rival,
but by January 1896, it was being run by Thomas Howe and advertised as ‘the prettiest
watering place in WA’, just ‘two and a half hours from Perth’ (Daily News, 25 January 1896,
p. 1).
By March 1896 the hotel was renovated and refurbished with Edmund Griffith taking over
the lease. It is probable that this work introduced an unpainted rectangular brick building
with gable roof to the front of the hotel. A skillion verandah ran the length of the front facade
and a gable entry feature off centre.
In 1901 the Exchange Hotel was noted as having two sitting rooms and six bedrooms,
exclusive of those occupied by the landlord. This is an increase on the three bedrooms in
1885, and could be explained by the conversion of the old front bar into bedrooms after the
conversion of a new front bar in 1896.
In 1908, the hotel site was purchased by Henry Edward Laslett. He took out a £3000
mortgage on the place in December 1909.
G.H. Jackson took over management in 1919 and by April 1920 added the motel units to
the southwest of the hotel which included nine new bedrooms. The increasing popularity of
the motor vehicle gave rise to a number of motel units throughout the state at this time.
In February 1921, John ‘Jack’ Fell and his wife, May, took over management of the Hotel
and remained through the 1920s. By this stage, three garages were erected on site.
In 1925 the place was extended. Works included a new kitchen and servery, and expansion
of the existing dining room. The new dining room would be 25ft 6in by 23ft, with the kitchen
and servery adjacent, improving the working conditions for staff. All the new works were in
brick. The architect was A. E. Clarke, of Perth, and the builder was F. Gurr.
New hotels, along with hotel refurbishments, were stopped in 1925 in response to the failed
Prohibition Referendum, but by 1926 hotel construction began in earnest. Fell applied to
have the hotel bedrooms connected to the electricity supply in 1927, but the scheme was
already overloaded and he was told to wait until a larger generator could be installed in the
town.
A photograph dated c.1928 shows Exchange Hotel with ‘Jack Fell’ stencilled across the
entire corrugated iron roof.
Photographs of the place in 1936 show the front section of the hotel much as it was in 1928,
with two canvas awnings extended to provide additional shade on the verandah. The floor
of the verandah is timber, set at ground level so that no steps are required to access it. The
lettering on the roof saying ‘Jack Fell’ is faded but still visible. There is one large chimney
three-quarters of the way along the roof ridge, towards the southern end. The brickwork is
unpainted.
Extensive flooding of the Murray River occurred regularly, and immense flood damage was
caused to the town during the winters of 1945 and 1955. A photograph of flood damage at
the Exchange Hotel, Pinjarra in 1945 shows aging brickwork under smooth-rendered walls.
A 1952 inspection of the place noted it had seven single bedrooms, four double bedrooms,
and six bedrooms with more than two beds. Five of these bedrooms, including two with
multiple beds, were used by staff, and another by the licensee. There were also two guest
sitting rooms and one for the licensee, a lounge with a capacity of 24 persons, one bar, and
a dining room seating 36 persons. The bar and lounge had been renovated the previous
year.
In 1954, the Licensing Court demanded clearly separated toilet blocks for the public and
guests. It was noted that the Exchange was aged and required extensive structural work. In
1955, W. G. Bennett drew plans for alterations, including new men’s and women’s toilets,
renovations of the bar and passages that accessed the toilets, and renovations to windows
and doors where the timber was failing. Further works were undertaken in 1956 to renovate
the bedrooms. The number of bedrooms by this time was about fifteen.
In 1959 the place required urgent renovations, as the bar ceiling was sagging, and termite
damage in the timbers made areas unsafe, especially the front verandah. While the
Exchange was being maintained to a satisfactory standard, it was very old and not easily
manageable. Modern facilities would soon be required, including additional parking and
modernised facilities to serve customers. In 1960, this advice was reissued as a court order,
with renewal of the liquor licence being dependent upon plans being submitted for major
works.
It was some time before the works ordered in 1960 were implemented. Plans were
resubmitted several times due to concerns about the proximity of a new beer garden to the
bedroom wing. In November 1961, W.G. Bennett & Associates called for tenders for the
work, but no suitable contractor was obtained until late 1962.
The 1962 changes to the place involved demolition of the front portion of the hotel, where
the bars were located, and replacement with a modern saloon, public bars, store and cool
room. New men’s public toilets were erected, and the guests’ sitting room was enlarged.
Garages were demolished. A new beer garden was created between the new bars and the
bedroom wing. Screening walls were created along the outer edge of the existing bedroom
wing.
A 1963 inspection report lists sixteen bedrooms, three sitting rooms (one for the licensee), a
lounge seating 60, two bars, and a dining room for 50. The dining room’s capacity was listed
already in 1962 as increased 36 to 50 persons.
The Licensing Board continued to insist that the Hotel was ‘old and outdated’. A particular
concern was the kitchen and dining areas. Consequently, the north wall was cement
rendered as the bricks were deteriorating due to their age. Various elements were
demolished including a substandard verandah, lean-to garage, and stud division wall in the
kitchen. The ripple iron ceiling in the dining room was replaced, and external glazed doors
from the dining room to the north verandah were replaced as they had severely weathered.
The following year it was noted that the unusual roof shapes, especially in the kitchen area,
meant poor drainage and potential ongoing waterproofing problems.
In 1983, a drive-through bottle shop was added to the place.
In 1993, plans were prepared by Bruce Robinson and Associates for the installation of a
new TAB agency in the southwest corner of the building, adjacent to the beer garden and
terrace area. In 1994, the layout of the manager’s flat and nearby ablutions block were
changed and a rear courtyard created.
In 2002, further additions were made to the bottle shop and there was an upgrade of
outdoor areas.
Exchange Hotel continued to operate as a hotel, providing both accommodation and a
public bar, until 2008, when the place closed.
In 2012 the Shire of Murray purchased the Exchange Hotel and is currently undertaking a
feasibility study into the future use of the building.

Integrity/Authenticity

Fair

Condition

Poor

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.