Box Hill Inn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Box Hill Inn |
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Box Hill Inn, 753 Windsor Road, Box Hill, New South Wales in 2020
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| Location | Windsor Road, Box Hill, The Hills Shire, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | c. 1825 |
| Official name: Box Hill Inn; Mogul Stud; Rummery Homestead; Coach House Inn; Bee Hive Inn | |
| Type | State heritage (built) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 724 |
| Type | Inn/Tavern |
| Category | Commercial |
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The Box Hill Inn is a very old building in Box Hill, Australia. It's like a historic hotel or pub that used to offer food and lodging. This special building is located on Windsor Road. It's also known by other names like Mogul Stud, Rummery Homestead, Coach House Inn, and Bee Hive Inn. The Box Hill Inn is so important that it was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999. This means it's protected because of its history and special features.
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Discovering the History of Box Hill Inn
The Box Hill Inn is a two-storey brick building. It has a small attic with two rooms. A narrow stairway leads up to these rooms. People believe it was built around 1825. The Rummery family, who grew fruit in Riverstone, are thought to have built it. Back then, it was known as the Coach House Inn.
The building officially became the Box Hill Inn in 1842. This is when it first got its license to operate as an inn. Later, in 1848, its name changed to the Bee Hive Inn. Many early settlers and pioneers ran the inn. Some of these owners included Joseph Suffolk and John Foley. The inn has been empty for many years now.
What Does Box Hill Inn Look Like?
The Box Hill Inn is a two-storey building made of brick. It has a small attic with two rooms. You can reach the attic using a narrow stairway. This stairway is in the back room. The front porch, called a veranda, has special wooden posts. These posts are shaped like octagons. The ceiling of the veranda is made of wide wooden planks.
There are two front doors on the building. One door has six panels and a fanlight above it. A fanlight is a window shaped like a fan. The other door has eight panels but no fanlight. The windows have 12 small panes of glass. They also have strong wooden shutters. The front wall is covered in a special plaster. This plaster is made to look like old brickwork.
Inside, you'll find doors with six panels or vertical wooden boards. Most of the decorative frames around the doors have been removed. However, one old fireplace mantelpiece is still there. The walls and ceilings are covered in plaster. The ceilings were made using a mix of lime and mud. This mix was pressed onto thin wooden strips.
There's a cellar under one of the rooms. A separate brick kitchen building is also on the property. These parts seem to have been added later, around the late 1800s or early 1900s. A wooden roof connects the main building to the kitchen. This roof is covered with corrugated steel. One of the end walls of the inn was taken down. A new base was poured for it. But the local council stopped the rebuilding work. They wanted special permission and plans.
The inn is a neat, old cottage. Its roof slopes down low over the front veranda. Some old fruit trees, like quince and citrus, are still growing there. A wooden shed is behind the house, but it's in poor condition. There are also three wells behind and to the north of the house. Two of these wells are unusually wide. Much of the original old style of the building remains. This includes the Coach House building at the back.
Condition of the Inn
In 2007, the Box Hill Inn was in fair condition. Some changes were made to the building many years ago. These changes didn't quite match the original style. But it would be easy to make the front look like it used to.
The eastern end wall of the building was taken down. A new concrete base was put in. The local council stopped the rebuilding of this wall. They needed special plans and approval from the NSW Heritage Council. The owners want to fix up the inn. They plan to rebuild the eastern wall. They will use the original bricks and new windows that look like the old ones. This wall was in danger of falling down. As a next step, the owners want to fix the roof. The roof is in very poor condition.
Why Box Hill Inn is a Heritage Site
The former Box Hill Inn is very important to the history of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999. Here's why it's so special:
- Historical Value: It was built in 1825, which makes it very old and rare. It's one of the earliest inns built along the road. It's also one of the few old inns still standing between Parramatta and Windsor.
- Cultural Importance: The inn reminds us how travel and distance shaped the early settlement of New South Wales. It shows how important places like inns were for travelers.
- Architectural Value: The inn is a great example of a building that changed its use over time. It adapted as people's needs changed.
