Imperial Hotel, Ravenswood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Imperial Hotel, Ravenswood |
|
|---|---|
Imperial Hotel, 2006
|
|
| Location | Macrossan Street, Ravenswood, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1900 – 1914 (early 20th century) |
| Built | 1901 |
| Architect | Eaton, Bates & Polin |
| Official name: Imperial Hotel, Ravenswood | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600446 |
| Significant period | 1900s (fabric) 1901-ongoing (historical use) |
| Significant components | objects (movable) – retail/wholesale/services, furniture/fittings |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
The Imperial Hotel is a historic building in Ravenswood, Australia. It stands on Macrossan Street. The famous architects Eaton, Bates & Polin designed it. The hotel was built in 1901. It is now a protected site, added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. This grand hotel is a reminder of Ravenswood's exciting past as a gold mining town.
Contents
Discovering Ravenswood's Gold History
The Imperial Hotel is one of the few old buildings left in Ravenswood. This town was once a very important mining center. The hotel was built in 1901 for James Delaney. His family ran it for most of the 1900s. It shows how rich Ravenswood was during its gold boom.
Gold Rush Days Begin
In the 1800s, many goldfields were found in North Queensland. These discoveries helped towns grow and railways be built. Some gold towns were temporary, but others, like Ravenswood, became proper settlements.
Europeans first settled near Ravenswood after Bowen was founded in 1861. Gold was found in the area in 1867. The first gold claim was called "Perseverance." It later became the "Donnybrook" mine. The success of this mine helped James Delaney get money to build the Imperial Hotel.
Early gold was found near three dry creeks. A small settlement of tents and shacks grew there. A gold processing plant was set up in 1869. Ravenswood was officially made a town in 1871. At that time, it had about 30 hotels and 1,000 people!
Ravenswood's Golden Age and Challenges
Over time, it became harder to get gold from deeper in the ground. The gold was mixed with other minerals. This made it difficult to separate. Many miners left for other goldfields, like Charters Towers. Charters Towers soon became a bigger gold producer than Ravenswood.
Even so, Ravenswood kept going. It had steady gold production. Silver was also found nearby at Totley in 1878. Ravenswood also became a busy trading center. Wooden buildings replaced the shacks. More families moved in. The town became even more stable when a railway line connected it to Townsville in 1884.
Around 1899, a new company called New Ravenswood Company was formed. It brought in money from overseas. They reopened old mines and used new methods to find gold more efficiently. This made Ravenswood very rich again. It was the town's most successful period.
The Imperial Hotel's Fiery Start
In 1900, James Delaney decided to build a new hotel. He had run another hotel, the Commercial Hotel, since 1896. He bought land next to Browne's Ravenswood Hotel. His grand, two-story Imperial Hotel opened in early 1901.
But on April 18, 1901, a huge fire destroyed the Imperial Hotel. It also burned down almost the entire block of buildings. Only Browne's hotel was saved because of a brick wall. The damage was huge. Most buildings in Ravenswood were made of timber. There wasn't enough water to fight fires. This meant fires could spread very quickly.
After the fire, the owners decided to rebuild. They hired the same architects, Eaton, Bates and Polin. New shops were built, and the Imperial Hotel was rebuilt. Ravenswood had its own brick-making industry. The new buildings, especially the Imperial, used red bricks with cream brick stripes. This made them look very striking.
A Family's Dedication: The Delaneys
James Delaney passed away in July 1902. But he had already given the hotel to his wife, Anne, in 1901. The Delaneys had four young daughters. Anne ran the hotel herself from 1906. Her daughters helped her as they grew up.
Ravenswood's Changing Fortunes
Ravenswood's population reached its highest point in 1903 with 4,700 people. But after 1908, the town started to decline. It became too expensive to get gold from the mines. A long miners' strike in 1912 also caused problems. When World War I started in 1914, costs went up, and workers became scarce. The New Ravenswood Company closed in 1917.
In the 1920s, many buildings in Ravenswood were moved away. But the Imperial Hotel was made of brick, so it couldn't be moved. It kept operating. Ravenswood even lost its railway connection in 1930. The town's population dropped to about 70 people by the 1960s.
However, tourists started to become interested in the town's history. People began working to save the old buildings. In the 1980s, the whole town was listed as a heritage site. In 1987, a new gold mine opened, bringing some life back to Ravenswood.
Through all these changes, the Imperial Hotel kept trading. Anne Delaney died in 1968. Her daughters, Teresa and Jo, then ran the hotel. After they passed away, the hotel went to their sister Mary and her daughters. In 1994, it was sold to new local owners. It still operates as a hotel today. The two hotels in Ravenswood have helped keep the town alive.
What Does the Imperial Hotel Look Like?
The Imperial Hotel is on Macrossan Street, in the middle of Ravenswood. It stands out in a landscape of old ruins and mining waste piles. Behind the hotel is Buchanan's Creek. The hotel has fancy two-story verandas on its front and south side. The north side is very plain, showing that another building used to be next to it.
The hotel is a two-story building made of red bricks. It has cream brick stripes on the front. The roof is hidden by a tall wall with a rounded top and six small spires. The front veranda has a corrugated iron roof. It is held up by pairs of posts. The top floor has pretty wooden brackets. The ground floor has a wooden valance with arched openings. The upper veranda has cast iron railings.
There are two main entrances at the front. One leads to the bar, and the other to a central hallway. Upstairs, French doors open from the bedrooms onto the verandas.
The inside of the hotel is very original. It still has most of its old furniture and fittings. The ground floor has the bars, dining room, and a billiard room. There's also a kitchen, storage rooms, and an office. The bar is very special. It has detailed wooden and glass decorations. It even has old beer engines and ceramic taps.
A narrow, open courtyard is between the two parts of the building. Toilets are at the back of the kitchen area. The bedrooms are on the first floor, along with bathrooms. The upstairs rooms still have much of their original furniture.
Why is the Imperial Hotel Important?
The Imperial Hotel in Ravenswood was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. This means it is a very important historical site.
- It shows Queensland's history: Gold mining was very important for North Queensland. The Imperial Hotel is one of the few buildings left from the gold rush town of Ravenswood. It shows how rich the town was and how it later declined. This pattern was common in many gold towns. The hotel also has a strong connection to the Delaney family. They ran the hotel for over 90 years.
- It is very rare: The Imperial Hotel is rare because it is so well preserved. Both the building and its inside are almost unchanged. The bar, especially, is a great example of its kind. It's very unusual for a hotel to keep its original look, as hotels often change their style.
- It helps us learn about history: Because the hotel's rooms, fittings, and furniture are so well preserved, it can teach us a lot. It helps us understand how hotels operated during the early 1900s.
- It shows what a great hotel looks like: The Imperial Hotel is a wonderful example of a quality hotel from its time. Its style and decorations, both inside and out, are truly special.
- It is beautiful: The Imperial Hotel is a beautiful and lively example of hotel architecture from the early 1900s. It is a large, two-story building. It is one of only two hotels left in town. It is often admired and photographed by visitors to Ravenswood.
