Projects

2020

The Royal Hotel, Summer Street, Orange - Heritage Impact Statement

The Royal Hotel, Summer Street, Orange - Heritage Impact Statement
Photo of the c.1850's Wellington Inn, n.d., but looks to be post-1875, pre-1880s, as small timber buildings at Summer Street side is gone, but Royal Hotel Buildings not built yet. [Central Western Daily: ‘Archival Revival: Orange streetscapes in the early 20th century | Photos’, 26 May 2018, 1:00PM, Photo: Robert Bartlett Collection, Central West Libraries]
Central WestHeritage AssessmentCommerceHotels

Authors: Dr Sue Rosen and Liz Gorman

Client: MPK Hotels

The team was pleased to prepare an extensive history of the property as part of a Heritage Impact Statement, as the client wished to restore original exterior finishes to the hotel and install a new paint colour scheme to honour the heritage architectural detail of the Hotel.

The site of the Royal Hotel has been licenced as a pub since 1858. Originally, a building virtually unregognisable stood here, called the Wellington Inn, constructed in 1858. Other licencees included John W. Smith, who changed the hotel's name to the Royal in 1881. The Royal Hotel was the location of the Cobb & Co. booking office in Orange for 50 years.

The building was extensively remodelled to increase its commercial potential by George Newton Kenworthy in the late 1930's. Brewers such as Tooth and Co. and Toohey's competed heavily in the hotel buisness, Tooheys branding appearing on the Royal Hotel in the 1980's.