Royal Bull's Head Inn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Royal Bull's Head Inn |
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Royal Bull's Head Inn, 2015
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| Location | Brisbane Street, Drayton, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | 1859 - 1950s |
| Official name: Royal Bull's Head Inn, Bull's Head Hotel | |
| Type | state heritage (archaeological, built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600838 |
| Significant period | 1850s (fabric) 1847-1879 (historic use as hotel site) 1892-1952 (use as post office) |
| Significant components | out building/s, furniture/fittings, kitchen/kitchen house, pathway/walkway, well, trees/plantings, terracing |
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The Royal Bull's Head Inn is a very old and important building in Drayton, Australia. It was built as a hotel between 1859 and the 1950s. Today, it is looked after by the National Trust of Queensland and is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This means it's a special place that helps us understand Queensland's past.
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What is the History of the Royal Bull's Head Inn?
The Royal Bull's Head Inn is a two-storey building made of timber and brick. It was built in 1859 as a big addition to an older hotel from 1847. This older hotel was owned by William Horton and was very well known in Drayton.
How Did Drayton Begin?
In the early 1840s, people called "squatters" started settling on the Darling Downs. This was the beginning of European settlement in the area. In 1842, a man named Thomas Alford opened a store near some important routes. This place was known for its water springs. Soon, other businesses and craftspeople set up shops there to help the settlers and travellers. This growing settlement became known as "Drayton."
The First Bull's Head Hotel
In 1847, William Horton built a high-quality inn in Drayton. Horton had experience running hotels. He wanted his new hotel to be famous for its comfort and great service. He named it the 'Bull's Head' after a famous bull from a nearby farm.
The hotel quickly became a popular meeting spot for squatters and had a busy bar. It offered places to sleep and a stop for animals. People also used it for auctions, meetings, and social events. The inn was large and had everything needed for many visitors. These visitors included travellers, religious leaders, and new settlers. Important meetings, from government discussions to horse races, were held there.
On August 20, 1848, the first Church of England service on the Darling Downs was held at the Royal Bull's Head Inn.
Drayton vs. Toowoomba
In 1848, Drayton was officially mapped out. William Horton bought the land where his inn stood. Drayton continued to grow, but it often had problems with its water supply. There wasn't enough water for all the people and animals.
About 6.5 kilometers away, an area called "The Swamp" was also growing fast. "The Swamp" had a better water supply and good soil for farming. It was also closer to a new road that was easier for wagons to use. By 1852, Horton was planning to build another hotel at "The Swamp." This area later became known as Toowoomba. A friendly competition started between Drayton and Toowoomba. Eventually, Toowoomba grew much larger than Drayton.
The Royal Bull's Head Hotel
In 1856, William Horton sold his hotel in Toowoomba. He returned to Drayton in 1858. He then built a large new section for the Bull's Head Inn. This new part was made of brick, cedar, and timber. It was built along Brisbane Street, next to the original inn. The whole inn was beautifully furnished. People said it was the best hotel on the Darling Downs.
The new section was finished just in time for the visit of Sir George Bowen, the new Governor of Queensland, in March 1860. He stayed at the inn after a big public dinner in Drayton. After this, the inn was called the Royal Bull's Head Hotel.
More improvements were made, including a billiard room with a fancy table and new stables in 1861. William Horton passed away in 1864. The hotel was then managed by different people. In 1875, most of the original 1847 building and the stables were sold and removed. Only the 1859 extension and the original kitchen remained. These are the buildings you see today.
The Lynch Family Home
In 1879, William Horton's son sold the inn to Richard Stephen Lynch, a saddler, and his wife Sarah Neale. The hotel stopped being a hotel. The Lynch family used the building as their private home and called it "The Terrace." They lived there for over 90 years.
The Lynch family also ran the Drayton Post Office from the building for 60 years. The post office stayed there until 1952, when Frances Lynch, Richard and Sarah's daughter, retired. In the 1950s, the Lynch family added a bathroom and kitchen by enclosing part of the verandah.
Restoration and Opening to the Public
In 1973, the last surviving son of the Lynch family passed away. The National Trust of Queensland bought the building. They worked hard to restore and rebuild parts of it. The inn was then opened to the public as a museum. It shows what a wayside inn was like in the past.
Archaeologists have studied the grounds and the old kitchen area. They hope to find items from the 1847 building. They have found old pathways, terracing, and other early features. This helps us understand how inns like this worked when Europeans first settled the area.
In 1984, the inn celebrated its 125th birthday. By 1985, the ground floor was fully restored. Work on the second floor began in 1987. On May 2, 1988, the Governor of Queensland, Sir Walter Campbell, officially opened the Royal Bull's Head Inn. In 1998, the 25th anniversary of the National Trust was celebrated at the inn. The newly renovated kitchen area was also officially opened.
Restoration of the gardens and other buildings also started in 1983. Fences were replaced, and the dairy and stables were fixed up. The inn's gardens are a great example of 19th-century gardens. Restoration work on the building continues even today.
Who Were Some Famous Visitors?
- Governor of Queensland George Bowen
- Archbishop John Polding
What Does the Royal Bull's Head Inn Look Like?
The Royal Bull's Head Inn sits on a small hill facing Brisbane Street. It's a two-storey building with a timber frame. The outside walls are made of weatherboard and chamferboard. Inside, on the ground floor, the dividing walls are made of brick. There are ten rooms downstairs and five upstairs. The part of the verandah that was a bathroom and kitchen in the 1950s is now used as a kitchen and tea room.
The roof is covered with corrugated iron. It has four dormer windows that stick out, which are a unique feature of the building. The building sits on a concrete base from the 1970s, which replaced the original timber supports.
The old kitchen building is still there, but it's in a ruined state. A well, possibly from when it was a hotel, is near the back wall of the inn.
Most of the original land around the inn still exists. It has gardens and farm structures added by the Lynch family. Some of the old plants are still there. Parts of the stone terracing from the hotel period remain. New picket and split-rail fences have been built to match the old style. A new toilet building has been built in the paddock next to the inn.
Inside, the building has furniture and items that belonged to the Lynch family. Some original wall coverings, like wallpaper on calico fabric stretched between the wooden supports upstairs, can still be seen. Most of the wooden doors and window frames are original. Some are even painted with decorative scenes. The pressed metal ceiling in the parlour is also still there.
Why is the Royal Bull's Head Inn Important?
The Royal Bull's Head Inn was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992. It meets several important criteria:
- It shows how Queensland's history developed.
The inn shows us what early European settlement was like on the Darling Downs. It highlights how important Drayton was as a town on a main trade route.
- It shows rare or special parts of Queensland's history.
As an inn built before Queensland became a separate colony (pre-Separation), it is a rare building. Its construction methods also show early and uncommon building techniques. Some of the original wall finishes upstairs are also very rare and still in good condition.
- It can help us learn more about Queensland's history.
Because it's a rare pre-Separation inn, its construction methods teach us about old building techniques. The rare original finishes upstairs also provide valuable information.
- It shows the main features of a certain type of historic place.
The inn still has much of its original land. The building's layout and what archaeologists have found show clearly how it was used as a hotel complex.
- It is beautiful and important to the community.
The building and its surroundings have a special beauty that people in the community appreciate.
Images for kids
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Royal Bull's Head Inn, 1880s
