Breakfast Creek Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Breakfast Creek Hotel |
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Breakfast Creek Hotel in 2025, the lights of Allan Border Field in the background
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| Location | 2 Kingsford Smith Drive, Albion, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s–1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1889–1890 |
| Architect | Simkin & Ibler |
| Architectural style(s) | Victorian Filigree |
| Official name: Breakfast Creek Hotel | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600057 |
| Significant period | 1889, c. 1900, 1926, 1930 (fabric) |
| Significant components | bar, kitchen/kitchen house |
| Builders | Thomas Woollam & William Norman |
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The Breakfast Creek Hotel is a famous old hotel in Albion, Brisbane, Australia. It's a special building that has been around since 1890. This heritage-listed hotel was designed by Simkin & Ibler. It was built between 1889 and 1890 by Thomas Woollam and William Norman.
The hotel stands alone in its own area. It was designed in a style called French Renaissance architecture. The middle part of the building is set back. It has a covered walkway with four arches. These arches are paved with special Encaustic tiles.
On the left side, the bar entrance has a decorative top part called a pediment. This is framed by Doric pilasters, which are like flat columns. The right side used to have rooms for business and drawing. It featured a two-story bay window.
A large decorative border, called a cornice, runs across the front and sides of the building. It has walls above it, known as parapets, and more pediments. On the roof, each side has a small tower. These towers have fancy iron decorations and tall flagpoles. The outside walls have special brickwork and rough-looking stone corners.
You can see the initials of William McNaughton Galloway and the building date on the front of the hotel.
Contents
Hotel History and Construction
This large, two-story brick hotel was built in 1889 for William MacNaughton Galloway. He was a businessman who sold clothes and gear to sailors. He was also the Mayor of Brisbane from 1889 to 1890.
Early Days of the Hotel Site
The land where the hotel stands was first owned by Thomas Hennessy in 1849. By 1862, Mrs. Hennessy had a hotel called the Breakfast Creek Hotel nearby. It's not clear if it was on the exact same spot. A bridge across Breakfast Creek was built in 1848. The early hotel was close to this bridge.
Building the New Hotel
Galloway's hotel was built when the Breakfast Creek area was growing. There was quarrying, timber work, and the Albion racecourse was being built. A new Breakfast Creek Bridge also opened in May 1889.
Architects George S Simkin and John Ibler asked for building bids in April 1889. The first stone was laid on May 18, 1889. Thomas Woollam and William Norman won the contract to build it for £5,300.
The Breakfast Creek Hotel opened on May 17, 1890. It was known as a family hotel. It stood in a great spot at the end of the new bridge. You could see it from many parts of the city.
Inside the Hotel
The inside of the hotel was considered very fancy. The bar on the ground floor was especially impressive. Large folding doors could open to connect the dining and business rooms. This created a big room for banquets.
Above the stairs, there was a stained glass window. It showed a picture of Lady Macbeth with two painted figures. The first floor had ten bedrooms and a large drawing room. These rooms offered wide views of the Brisbane River and the surrounding area.
At the back were the kitchen, servant's rooms, and stables. The stables had hardwood blocks set in cement for the floor. The ground was quite wet, so the entire area under the hotel was made into cellars. These cellars had concrete walls and floors, forming the building's strong foundations.
Challenges and Changes
In February 1893, the Brisbane River flooded. The hotel was under 7 to 8 feet of water. Many people used the upper floors as a safe place. They climbed up the iron posts of the verandahs to reach them.
On January 12, 1895, William Galloway fell from a second-floor window. He was taken to the hospital but sadly passed away soon after.
Anne Galloway, William's wife, took over the hotel's license in April 1895. After William passed away, the bank owned the hotel. Mrs. Galloway leased it from them for six years.
In January 1898, the Brisbane River flooded again. The hotel was once more surrounded by water.
In September 1900, the hotel was sold to the brewing company Perkins & Co. When Anne Galloway's lease ended in August 1901, she could not get a new one. There was a disagreement about what items belonged to her and what belonged to the hotel. She eventually moved away.
The two-story section at the back of the hotel was added around 1900. This might have happened after Perkins & Co took over.
Michael John McGuire managed the hotel from 1901 to 1917. Since 1926, members of the Cavill family have mostly managed the Breakfast Creek Hotel. In 1926, changes and additions were made to the hotel. A cold room was built in 1930.
The Breakfast Creek Hotel is now a famous Brisbane landmark. It is known for still serving beer "off the wood." Over the years, many different people have visited the hotel. These include workers, fishermen, police, journalists, and politicians.
In February 2022, the hotel experienced another big flood. This was only the fourth major flood in its long history. Heavy rains caused widespread damage in Brisbane. The hotel then hosted an event to help communities affected by the flood.
Hotel Design and Features
The Breakfast Creek Hotel is a fancy two-story building. It is made of brick with special cement decorations. The roofs are covered with corrugated iron. It has a main building with verandahs on three sides. A brick service wing extends to the back.
The hotel is in a very noticeable spot. It's where Breakfast Creek Road and Kingsford Smith Drive meet. It's also where Breakfast Creek flows into the Brisbane River. Its rich decorations and special roof designs make it a landmark.
Detailed Exterior
The 1889 building has many detailed features. The front, facing Breakfast Creek Road, has parts that stick out on each end. These parts have rough-looking stone corners. They frame a covered walkway on the ground floor and a verandah on the first floor. These end sections have special roofs with decorative railings on top.
The western end has a doorway with columns and a decorative top. Above it are windows also framed with columns. The eastern end has a two-story bay window. A deep decorative border goes around the building. It has curved supports and small block-like decorations.
Above this border is a low wall with circular designs. This wall supports five decorative tops called pediments. The middle pediment has an arched panel with "Breakfast Creek Hotel" written on it. It is topped with a curved gable and more decorations. Two triangular pediments next to it have "W.M.G" (Galloway's initials) and "AD 1889" (the year it was built). The east and west sides also have triangular pediments.
The verandahs around the building have detailed cast iron railings. The columns are paired and have flowery tops. They also have hexagonal bases and grooved shafts.
Inside the Hotel
The 1889 building has two large bars on the ground floor. These are on either side of an entrance hall. Upstairs are offices and meeting rooms. The inside has rich decorations.
The entrance hall has a decorated arch. It features a female figure on the central stone. The floor is made of terrazzo with "BCH" (for Breakfast Creek Hotel) inlaid at the door. There are cedar stairs with beautifully turned railings. Four timber doors with etched glass lead to the bars.
The western bar has a terrazzo floor. It is decorated with black-and-white polished ceramic tiles. It also has etched and colored glass windows with flower designs. The eastern bar has colored glass windows over mirrors. It also features a bay window with etched and colored glass.
The stairs to the upper floor also lead to the service wing. The doorway has colored glass around it. It shows painted figures and geometric patterns. There is a pressed metal ceiling above these stairs.
The upper floor has large meeting rooms and smaller offices. These are on either side of two corridors. A large room in the south-east corner has a fireplace with marble. Another room in the south-west corner has a decorative plaster ceiling and tall windows.
Service Wing and Dining Room
The back service wing holds the kitchen and other service areas. It is made of brick with cement decorations. It has a hipped corrugated iron roof with decorative timber brackets. This service wing has been extended on the ground floor. It now includes a single-story timber pavilion with a dining room.
The dining room opens to the outside with large timber folding doors. It is lined with colored polished ceramic tiles. It has a plaster ceiling with a rounded, stepped decorative border. It also has flat columns with rounded tops.
Why the Hotel is Special
The Breakfast Creek Hotel is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This means it is a very important historical place. It meets several special criteria.
- Shows Queensland's History: The hotel is important because it shows how the Breakfast Creek area grew in the late 1800s. It is also linked to William MacNaughton Galloway, a well-known person in Brisbane.
- Unique Architecture: It is a great example of commercial buildings from the late 1880s. This was a time of fast growth. It is also one of the few known works by architects Simkin & Ibler.
- Beautiful Design: The Breakfast Creek Hotel is a very ornate and detailed building. It stands out in the Breakfast Creek area. Inside, it has beautiful cedar stairs, colored glass, and decorative tiles. It is part of a group of important places near Breakfast Creek and the Brisbane River. These include Newstead House (1846) and the Breakfast Creek Bridge (1889).
- Community Connection: It is one of Brisbane's most famous hotels. In the 1900s, it was a popular spot for many different community groups.
- Important People: The hotel is connected to the growth of the Breakfast Creek area. It is also linked to William MacNaughton Galloway, an important person in Queensland's history.
Awards and Recognition
In 2009, during the Q150 celebrations, the Breakfast Creek Hotel received an award. It was named one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a significant "location."
See also
