White Horse Inn, Berrima facts for kids

The White Horse Inn is a very old building in Berrima, Australia. It has been many things over the years. It was once a home, a hotel, a bank, and a restaurant. This historic building was built between 1834 and 1850 by Edward Davies. It is also known by other names like Commercial Bank of Australia and Mail Coach Inn. The White Horse Inn is so important that it was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 1999.

A Look Back: History of the Inn

How Berrima Began

Berrima is one of the oldest European settlements in the Wingecarribee Shire. It is the oldest town in the area that is still active today. The first settlement nearby was at Bong Bong in 1821.

In 1829, Surveyor General Sir Thomas Mitchell chose the spot for Berrima. He was planning a new road from Sydney. This new road would replace an older one that was difficult to use. In 1830, Mitchell had the town marked out. He wanted it to look like a traditional English village. The new main road went right through the town. Berrima was meant to be a busy center for business and government.

Berrima's Early Days

In 1831, Governor Bourke approved the town. From 1824 to 1841, Berrima grew quickly. Mail coaches started using the new road, bringing more people and business. The first plots of land were sold in 1833. Many of these were bought by people who wanted to open inns.

Governor Bourke decided Berrima needed a courthouse and a jail. These buildings would serve the southern part of the state. The jail was built from 1835 to 1839. The courthouse was finished in 1838. With these important buildings, the town became very busy. Mail coaches stopped there, and many hotels and inns opened. By 1841, Berrima had 249 people and 37 houses. At one point, there were about 13 hotels or "grog houses" in Berrima!

The Mail Coach Inn

Michael Doyle and his wife ran the Mail Coach Inn from 1837 to 1839. It was a licensed public house and a stop for mail delivery. It was one of the first inns in Berrima. In 1838, the Doyles bought more land, which is now the site of the White Horse Inn. They wanted to make their business bigger. In 1839, they moved their liquor license to this new location. This is how the White Horse Inn became a licensed inn.

By the 1840s, Berrima had four licensed inns. The first licensed inn in Berrima was the Berrima Inn, opened in 1834. The Surveyor General Inn, which opened in 1835, is the oldest surviving inn building today.

The White Horse Inn Building

The original stone inn was built between 1834 and 1850. Edward Davies owned it then. Later, it was known as 'Oldbury's Inn'. In its early years, it was a coaching inn. This meant it was a stop for horse-drawn coaches. Its underground cellars were sometimes used to hold people who were working on the Berrima Bridge and Gaol.

In the early 1850s, a new part was added to the building. It had a high, pointed roof. A two-story stone storage room was also added at the back.

Changes Over Time

After 1851, Berrima's population dropped. However, it had another busy period in the 1850s when gold was discovered. But when the Great Southern Railway bypassed Berrima in 1867, the town started to decline. Nearby towns like Moss Vale and Bowral grew instead. Berrima stayed mostly the same for the next 100 years. This helped to keep it looking like an old colonial village.

It is not clear when the building was first called the White Horse Inn. Over the years, it was also used as a Commercial Bank of Australia. It was even a private home called Rosebank. For many decades, it was a restaurant and a place to stay. Later, it added separate motel rooms.

The old coach house, a separate building, was also used for different businesses. In 1979, the coach house was badly damaged by fire. It was later rebuilt and fixed up. In 2013, Reg Grundy and Joy Chambers bought the building.

What the Inn Looks Like

The Inn's Location

The White Horse Inn stands out in Berrima. It sits high up, overlooking the old Hume Highway. This means many people driving by can see it easily. Its location helps people appreciate the historic look of Berrima village. The village has many buildings in the old Colonial and Victorian Georgian styles.

The land around the inn is about 5,914 square meters. It faces Market Place and the Wingecarribee River. On the site, you can find the White Horse Inn building, which is made of sandstone. There is also a stone coach house, a motel from the 1970s, and some smaller buildings.

The Inn Building

The main inn building is large and has two stories. Its walls are made of sandstone blocks, and the roof is made of corrugated iron. It has a two-story wooden verandah on the side that faces the street. The front of the building has neatly arranged sandstone blocks. It has well-sized windows and doors. These features are typical of the Georgian/Regency architectural style. The building shows a lot of careful design.

The Coach House

To the south-east of the main inn is the "coach house." This building is built in a similar way to the inn. It was originally built around 1865. It was rebuilt and restored in 1979 after a fire.

The Motel

Behind both the Inn and the Coach House, about 40 meters from the front, is a motel. It was built in the 1980s. It is a single-story building with four rooms. It is made of fibro and brick, and has a tile roof.

Why the Inn is Important

The White Horse Inn is very important because it shows us what Berrima was like in its early days. It even has evidence of a time when people working on the jail were kept in its cellar at night. The inn has been used in many ways over time. It was especially important as a coaching inn and a hotel for travelers.

It is a large and well-designed old building. It shows how successful and stylish buildings were in the early days. Many of its original parts are still there. The main shape and Georgian style are still mostly intact. People in the community value it as a key building in the Marketplace. It helps give Berrima its special historic feel.

The White Horse Inn was officially listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999.