Normanby Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Normanby Hotel |
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![]() Normanby Hotel, 2008
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Location | 1 Musgrave Road, Red Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
Design period | 1870s–1890s (late 19th century) |
Built | 1890, 1917 |
Architect | John B Nicholson, George Henry Male Addison |
Architectural style(s) | Eclectic |
Official name: Normanby Hotel | |
Type | state heritage (built) |
Designated | 21 October 1992 |
Reference no. | 600283 |
Significant period | 1890-1920s (fabric) 1890-ongoing (historical- use as hotel) |
Significant components | bottle shop/drive-thru, trees/plantings |
Builders | Thomas Game |
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The Normanby Hotel is a historic hotel located in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built a long time ago, in 1890, and was designed by an architect named John B Nicholson. Later, in 1917, another architect, George Henry Male Addison, helped make some changes and additions to it. This hotel is considered very important because of its history and unique design, which is why it's listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
Hotel History
This two-storey brick hotel was built in 1890 for Elizabeth Sophia Burton. She was a person who ran hotels in Brisbane. Her husband had bought the land for the hotel back in 1865.
Before this hotel, the Burtons built the first Normanby Hotel on the same spot in 1872. It was a smaller, two-storey building that faced Kelvin Grove Road. The hotel was probably named after the new Governor of Queensland, George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby.
In 1889, William Valentine, who was Elizabeth Burton's son-in-law and ran the hotel, decided to pull down the old building. He wanted to build a newer, bigger hotel that would face Musgrave Road instead.
The architect John B Nicholson asked builders to offer prices for the new Normanby Hotel in late 1889. Thomas Game won the job. He built the hotel for about £4,100, which included all the things inside.
The new hotel officially opened on Monday, December 1, 1890. There was a special dinner for fifty men, many of whom were important people in the city. This included James Drake and John Annear, who were both people who helped make laws for Queensland.
More changes were made to the hotel in 1917. These plans were created by the architect George Henry Male Addison.
The Burton family owned the hotel until 1944. For much of that time, they also lived there and ran the business themselves.
Today, the Normanby Hotel is a well-known building in Brisbane. It even gave its name to the nearby area called Normanby Fiveways. This is a busy spot where five main roads meet.
Hotel Design and Features
This large brick hotel has a special style called Queen Anne. It stands in a very noticeable spot on a hill above Petrie Terrace. It really stands out at the Normanby Fiveways intersection.
The hotel is on a corner. It has two floors facing Musgrave Road and three floors at the back, facing Kelvin Grove Road. This is because the land slopes down steeply at the back.
The building has a main rectangular part with two sections at the back. It also has parts that stick out at the front. The roof is made of corrugated iron and has fancy gables. These gables have wooden decorations in a style called Tudor. There are also decorative brick chimneys and metal ornaments on top.
The main sides of the hotel, facing southwest and southeast, are very decorated. They have balconies that stick out under the gables. There are also arched verandahs and a special window that once looked out over the city. The front of the hotel on Musgrave Road has been changed at street level. However, the upper part still looks much like it did originally.
At the back of the hotel, there are two additions. One is a single-storey brick building from the 1920s or 1930s. The other is a more modern brick bottle shop, which is a place to buy drinks.
Large shade trees on the southeast side now hide the city-facing side of the hotel. There is also a terraced beer garden created under these trees.
Inside, the ground floor of the hotel has been changed. But the upper floor still looks mostly the same as it did when it was built. Even with some changes and the painting of its original brickwork, the Normanby Hotel still looks very charming and historic.
Why the Hotel is Heritage Listed
The Normanby Hotel was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992. This means it's considered an important historical place. It met several important rules to be listed:
- Showing Queensland's History: The Normanby Hotel, built in 1890, helps us understand how the Petrie Terrace and Musgrave Road areas grew into important main roads in Brisbane's inner suburbs.
- Unique Design: This hotel is one of the first buildings in Brisbane to use the Queen Anne style in its design for a business. It's also one of the few known examples of commercial buildings designed by the architect John B Nicholson. Another example is the Norman Hotel in Buranda.
- A Good Example of its Type: The hotel is a beautiful and mostly unchanged example of a late 19th-century hotel. It has many decorative parts that were designed to be popular. It shows what hotels of its time were like.
- Beautiful and Important Look: The hotel has a strong landmark quality, meaning it's easy to spot and remember. Both the main building from 1890 and the bottle shop from the 1920s-30s, along with the old trees around them, make the Red Hill and Petrie Terrace area look special.
- Connected to Important People: The hotel's design shows an early use of the Queen Anne style in Brisbane. It is also important because it is one of the few examples of commercial buildings designed by the architect John B Nicholson.