Royal George Hotel and Ruddle's Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Royal George Hotel and Ruddle's Building |
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Royal George Hotel and Ruddle's Building, 1997
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| Location | 323-335 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | c. 1850 - 1960s |
| Official name: Royal George Hotel and Ruddle's Building, Bush and Commercial Inn (aka Commercial Inn), Freemasons Arms, Ruddle's Corner | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 3 August 1998 |
| Reference no. | 601248 |
| Significant period | 1850s-1920s (fabric) 1850-ongoing (historical use of hotel) 1901-1942 (Bank in Ruddle's Building) |
| Significant components | shop row, loggia/s, hotel / inn, basement / sub-floor, bank |
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The Royal George Hotel and Ruddle's Building are two historic buildings in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Queensland. They are located at the busy corner of Brunswick and Ann Streets. The Royal George Hotel has been a hotel since about 1850. Ruddle's Building was added next to it in 1901. Both buildings are important parts of Queensland's history. They show how Fortitude Valley grew over many years. They were officially added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 3 August 1998.
Contents
History of the Royal George Hotel and Ruddle's Building
The Royal George Hotel and Ruddle's Building stand at a key intersection in Fortitude Valley. A hotel has been on this spot since 1850. The Royal George Hotel is a three-storey brick building. It has an older two-storey part that might be from 1850. Over the years, the hotel has been changed many times.
In 1886, big changes made the hotel look like a late Victorian building. By 1924, a third floor was added. In the 1960s, many of the Victorian decorations were removed. The two-storey brick Ruddle's Building was built in 1901. It was built by William Ruddle, whose family ran the Royal George for about 60 years. The famous Brisbane architect Robin Dods designed Ruddle's Building. It was made to match the hotel and hold different businesses. These included the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney. Together, the two buildings were known as Ruddle's Corner.
Early Days of the Hotel
The land for the hotel was first bought in 1850 by James Gibbon. Later that year, William Sam Sutton bought part of the land. He moved his pub, the Bush and Commercial Inn, to this new spot. It was also called the Commercial Inn. Sutton's hotel was one of only about a dozen pubs in Brisbane at that time. It was well-placed on the roads to Eagle Farm and New Farm. These roads were important for trade. The hotel also served the new settlement of Fortitude Valley. This area was started in 1849 by immigrants.
By 1851, Sutton's hotel was no longer licensed. The building was described as a "large brick Building." It had a two-storey part and a corner section used as a pub. There was also a separate brick kitchen, sleeping rooms, and stables.
New Owners and Names
The property was later sold to William John Loudon in 1853. He opened the Freemasons Arms, also known as the Freemasons Hotel. By 1854, Fortitude Valley was growing fast. Loudon's hotel was described as a "good brick inn." Horse and cattle sales were often held at the hotel. It had good stables and yards for animals.
Loudon ran the hotel until 1859. The hotel was renamed the Lamb Inn in 1857. Over the next few years, different people ran the hotel. In 1863, George Dickens took over. He is believed to have changed the name to the Royal George. Dickens advertised the hotel for rent in 1864. He said it had 18 rooms, outhouses, good stables, and a large yard. It was an "old established" business.
The Ruddle Family Takes Over
In 1872, William Ruddle leased the hotel. He leased it from the Anglican Church, which owned other land nearby. A photo from this time shows the Royal George Hotel looking much like it did in the 1850s. By then, the corner section had a second storey. An attached single-storey building on Brunswick Street was also part of the hotel.
In 1885, Ruddle bought the hotel. The next year, big changes were made to the hotel. This was the first of two major updates. These changes turned the building into a late Victorian hotel. This look lasted until the 1960s. The famous architect Francis Drummond Greville Stanley designed these changes. He was Queensland's longest-serving Colonial Architect. His work included the Brisbane Supreme Court and the General Post Office.
Stanley's changes included raising the roof and extending the hotel along Brunswick Street. He also added a large cellar and cast-iron verandahs. Inside, there were new bedrooms, parlours, a bar, and a large dining room.
Hotel Boom and Ruddle's Building
The new Royal George was part of a hotel boom in the 1880s. Many other large hotels were built in Fortitude Valley around this time. These buildings showed the strong economy in Queensland during the 1880s. Brisbane was being rebuilt as a busy city.
Even with a tough economy in the 1890s, Fortitude Valley kept growing. Big shops like TC Beirne and James McWhirter opened on Brunswick Street. The Valley became the city's second main business area.
William Ruddle continued to expand his business. In 1901, he bought the land next to the hotel on Ann Street. In the same year, Ruddle built Ruddle's Building. Robin Dods designed this building. It was located between the Royal George and the TC Beirne Department Store. Ruddle's Building had several different businesses inside. These included the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney. It also had a jeweller, a food store, and a dentist. William Ruddle's son, Roland, had a photographer's studio upstairs.
Later Changes and Sale
In 1902, William Ruddle's son, Ernest, became the hotel manager. By 1914, part of the Ann Street building was added to the hotel. By 1924, a third floor was added to the hotel. This made it a three-storey Victorian hotel. This work also added a third floor to the Ann Street building. This made it look like one big building with the Royal George.
In 1936, the hotel was sold to the brewers Castlemaine Perkins. This ended the Ruddle family's 60-year connection with the hotel. In the 1960s, more big changes happened. The Victorian verandahs were removed. Part of Ruddle's Building's ground floor was made part of the hotel.
In 1986, new owners took over. More recent changes happened in the 1990s when the Brunswick Street mall was created. Today, both the Royal George Hotel and Ruddle's Building are still busy. The Royal George is a pub and has rooms for people to stay. Ruddle's Building has a bar, a live music venue, and a cafe.
What the Buildings Look Like
The Royal George Hotel is on the western corner of Brunswick and Ann Streets. Ruddle's Building is next to it. It is also next to the old TC Beirne Department Store.
Royal George Hotel
The Royal George Hotel is a three-storey building. It is made of brick and has a smooth outer finish. Its roof is hidden behind a low wall called a parapet. The corner of the building facing the street is cut at an angle. This is called a chamfered corner. The oldest part of the building, from around 1850, is still inside. However, the outside mostly looks like it was updated in the 1960s.
The ground floor has an awning over the footpath on both Ann and Brunswick Streets. The first and second floors have many windows. The ground floor has doors and windows for the public bar. The main entrance for the hotel rooms is on Brunswick Street. The ground floor walls are covered with ceramic tiles. The name ROYAL GEORGE HOTEL is written on the Ann Street side.
The far end of the Ann Street side looks a bit different. This part was built before 1898 as a separate building. It was later joined with the hotel. The back of the building has metal fire escape stairs. The area behind the building is mainly for services.
Inside, the ground floor has a public bar. There is also a lounge area. A main staircase and a lift go up to the hotel rooms on the first and second floors. Another bar on the ground floor connects to Ruddle's Building. There is also a basement under the corner of the hotel. This basement connects to Ruddle's Building's basement. The basement shows parts of the original building structure.
The first and second floors have hotel rooms. These rooms open onto a central hallway. Some original walls are still on the first floor.
Ruddle's Building
Ruddle's Building is a two-storey brick building. It also has a smooth outer finish. Its roof is hidden behind a parapet. The building has two main parts. One part was for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney. The other part had three different shops.
The building was designed to fit between the Royal George Hotel and the old TC Beirne Department Store. It has special architectural details like triangular and curved pediments. These details connect it visually to the nearby buildings.
The back of the building has single-storey additions. These include toilets, kitchens, and storage areas. There are also metal stairs to the first floor.
North-west Tenancy (Former Bank)
The part of Ruddle's Building on the northwest side used to be the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney. It is now a bar and live music venue. It has an awning over Brunswick Street. The ground floor has a shopfront with glass doors. There is also an old doorway that used to lead to offices.
The first floor has a central recessed area with an arch. This arch opens to a covered balcony called a loggia. This design shows how architect Robin Dods thought about the climate. The top of this section has a special curved shape called a broken apex curved pediment.
Inside, the ground floor has a bar and seating area. There is also a room with a pool table. The first floor has a function room. It has three large openings onto the loggia.
Other Shops and Spaces
The rest of Ruddle's Building has three shops. These are currently a cafe and two bars. They have awnings over Brunswick Street. The ground floor shops do not have their original fronts. The cafe has a raised floor inside. The southern bar is connected to the Royal George Hotel.
The first floor of this section is original. It has a verandah with timber posts. The verandah has a curved roof. Above the verandah, there is a pediment with the letters "WR" (for William Ruddle) and the date "1901." The verandah has French doors with fanlights.
The back of this part of the building has a verandah on the first floor. This verandah has been closed in with windows and timber.
Inside, the ground floor has the cafe and two bars. The cafe has a raised area and a basement seating area. The bars have basements with brick arches. The first floor has rooms used for staff of the Royal George Hotel. These rooms open onto the enclosed verandah at the back.
Why It's a Heritage Site
The Royal George Hotel and Ruddle's Building were added to the Queensland Heritage Register because they are very important.
- Shows Queensland's History: The Royal George Hotel started in 1850. Its old parts are rare examples of early buildings in Fortitude Valley. The hotel's changes in 1886 show the economic boom of the 1880s. Ruddle's Building, built in 1901, shows how Fortitude Valley kept growing as a business area.
- Rare and Special: The 1850s parts of the hotel are rare. They show how buildings were made in the mid-1800s.
- Helps Us Learn: The old parts of the building, like the walls in the basement, can teach us about how hotels worked and how buildings were constructed in the past.
- Typical Hotel Features: Even with changes, the Royal George Hotel still shows what a late 19th-century hotel was like. It has public areas on the ground floor and rooms upstairs. Ruddle's Building shows the style of architect Robin Dods. He designed buildings that fit the climate and looked good with other buildings.
- Looks Great: Both buildings are important to the look of Fortitude Valley. Ruddle's Building shows skilled design. Its balconies and loggia show a smart way to build for Queensland's climate.
- Community Connection: This site has been a hotel for over 140 years. It has been a continuous part of the community's social life.
- Connected to Important People: The Royal George Hotel and Ruddle's Building are known as Ruddle's Corner. They have a long history with the Ruddle family, who were well-known in Fortitude Valley.
