Oddfellows Arms Inn

Item details


Name of item:	Oddfellows Arms Inn
Other name/s:	Fairview House
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Commercial
Category:	Inn/Tavern
Location:	Lat: -33.7993964768 Long: 151.0031936780
Primary address:	541 Church Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150
Parish:	Field of Mars
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	City of Parramatta
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Deerubbin

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	44	DP	1026766
LOT	33	DP	230898
CP	1	SP	67447
CP	10	SP	67447
CP	2	SP	67447
CP	3	SP	67447
CP	4	SP	67447
CP	5	SP	67447
CP	6	SP	67447
CP	7	SP	67447
CP	8	SP	67447
CP	9	SP	67447

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
541 Church Street	Parramatta	City of Parramatta	Field of Mars	Cumberland	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Younis & Co Pty Ltd and H. Quinan	Private	26 Mar 99

Statement of significance:


	The building originally known as the 'Odd Fellows Arms', 541 Church Street, North Parramatta, is a rare example of a mid-nineteenth century inn and dwelling. Its State significance lies in the condition and integrity of the Inn. The study of this building and its grounds contribute to an understanding or early urban development in Parramatta. The changing uses of the building demonstrates the commercial role Parramatta in the nineteenth century. This building and its historical functions demonstrate the early network that linked Sydney with the rural outposts, such as Windsor and Toongabbie.
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	unknown
Builder/Maker:	unknown
Construction years:	1842-
Physical description:	The Odd Fellows Arms Inn is a two-storey Victorian Georgian sandstone structure facing directly onto Church Street Parramatta. From the front the Odd Fellows Arms Inn presents to be of single storey appearance with a lower ground level accessible from the rear [Form, 1997, pp 2]. The eastern (front) yard measures 4.50 m x 18 m in area and its Eastern boundary of the property is defined by the old front wall of the former hotel [Form, 1997, pp 32]. The front area also consists of garden beds and a verandah with two steps that runs parallel with the front wall of the building [Form, 1997, pp 32]. The front wall of the building consists of dressed sandstone blocks bonded with shell lime and cement mortar, which suggests it is the original wall while the verandah and steps suggest they were built during the first half of the twentieth century. The sandstone walls are in generally good condition, although the lower western (rear) walls have experienced some deterioration [Form, 1997, pp 32]. The roof of terracotta tiles with matching chimney pots are a recent modification. The roof line has been altered at the rear with the addition of unsympathetic dormer windows. The front verandah of the building is made of concrete columns [Form, 1997, pp 36, 40]. The interior of the building consists of two stories and an attic area. Most of the rooms found within the Odd Fellows Arms experienced various alterations of varying degrees over the approximate one hundred and fifty years of its life span, with the attic and ground floor surviving with next to no alteration. No significant alteration to the building has been undertaken from its construction, its configuration and character of the original building is still evident [Form, 1997, pp 2].


Former use:	Inn, residence, florist (?), boarding house

History

Historical notes:

Parramatta was the first European settlement outside Sydney and was established in 1788. Initially known as the Crescent settlement, Parramatta was originally laid out as the town of Rose Hill in 1790 [Form, 1997, pp 7]. Called Parramatta when Governor Phillip used a corruption of an Aboriginal name on the second of June 1791 [Form, 1997, pp 7]. Formed primarily to disperse the colonies inadequate food procedure by cultivating forms in the surrounding district it became known as an agricultural town by 1789 [Form, 1997, pp 7]. Of these, the convict operated farm that covered the areas of Parramatta and Toongabbie was the most prominent, with free grant holders circling outward.

Settlement clusters included Prospect to the West, the Ponds to the North East, and the Northern Boundary. The Northern Boundary was considered closer to civilization due to its proximity to the town of Parramatta, and was proclaimed a district in 1802 [Form, 1997, pp 7, 8]. Church Street linked the Northern District to the town via a bridge. Governor Macquarie restructured the town in 1810 by adding new streets and realigning the old. The road to Windsor made the use of Church Street more frequent as it became the land route to Windsor Road, replacing George Street as the major through fare of the district [Form, 1997, pp 8].

Governor Macquarie, in a bid to improve the tone of Parramatta, offered to convert leases into a grants for any blocks with substantial brick or stone buildings worth a thousand pounds or more. Town leases were made available from the 1790's, but most were with verbal permission [Form, 1997, pp 12]. Although it is north of the river, the site of the Odd Fellow Arms is within the town boundaries marked by the Macquarie tollgates. West of Windsor road and away from the town's centre, its position suggests that it was one of the inferior allotments permitted to the lower classes. The urban land north of the river was rendered more desirable in the late 1820's by the scarcity of more central allotments [Form, 1997, pp 14].

A part of the later stage of this Northern development, the Odd Fellows Arms was built on one of the land releases issued after 1823 [Form, 1997, pp 14]. The land was a town lease to Patrick Darcy, promised by Governor Brisbane and confirmed by Darling. Possession changed several times over the next few years until James MacRoberts purchased the property, although without any proof of purchase a chain of possession had to be established in the court of claims [Form, 1997, pp 14]. Having settled this, MacRoberts was issued with the deed on the 27th of July 1842 for Allotment 44 in Section 26 of Parramatta, his land was bounded on the South East by a Samuel Hills allotment [Form, 1997, pp 15].

MacRoberts received his first publican's license on the 31st of March 1843; the address on the license was given as Church Street Parramatta. MacRoberts link to the Odd Fellows cannot be established and no reason for his choice of name can be determined. Despite being an isolated part of town, the Odd Fellows Arms would have profited from the gaol built a block away and there would have been regular passing trade from the orchards to the markets in town, as well as those passing northwards through Parramatta - all of which would have allowed the Inn to survive in its isolated location [Form, 1997, pp 15].

Even in 1841, where more than half of the buildings were made of timber, the Odd Fellows Arms was of superior quality, constructed of stone and well finished, it seems to have been purpose built as an inn [Form, 1997, pp 18]. With a cottage like exterior, the Odd Fellows Arms was more elegant than many of the competing pubs outside of Parramatta, and was close enough to the river for patrons to catch a steamer to Sydney [Form, 1997, pp 18]. Official records of the Inn's license do not place exactly when it went out of business, but it was still going in 1851 when the gold rush to Bathurst boosted Parramatta's economy, but it probably closed around 1855 when the railway was built in the opposite end of town, stimulating development and leading traffic away from the Odd Fellows Arms [Form, 1997, pp 18, 19].

MacRoberts eventually went bankrupt in 1860 and sold the Inn to a Benjamin Lee. At some stage in its history the Inn was renamed the Fruit Growers Hotel, as indicated by faded signs on the building, although it is not clear when this occurred [Form, 1997, pp 19]. Lee senior and junior leased the building until 1879 when it was put up for auction, with no mention of being a hotel. The auction does not seem to have gone through as the property was sold from Lee's estate in 1884 to surgeon William Poulton Lee as a residence. The land had previously been subdivided, but Lee's purchase brought the parcels back together and he renamed the property Fairview House.

Fairview House achieved the status of a gentleman's villa surrounded by residences and businesses. On William Lee's death the property passed into the hands of Benjamin Lee, who leased it to Mrs Harriet Atkins. Atkins operated a boarding house until 1907 when it was sold to florist Johannes Christian Johannsen and renamed Johannsen Court [Form, 1997, pp 23, 26].

For the remaining years the property acquired different owners and was largely used as a private residency, or rented out to tenants [Form, 1997, pp 30].

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Gardens-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Changing the environment-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	Retailing-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	Innkeeping-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Creating environments evocative of the 'old country'-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes of urban amenity-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Events-Activities and processes that mark the consequences of natural and cultural occurences	Developing local landmarks-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements	Road-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements	Building and maintaining public roads-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	City Club accommodation-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Building settlements, towns and cities-National Theme 4
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	gentlemen's residences-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Adapted heritage building or structure-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Hotel accommodation-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Accommodating workers in hostels-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Housing working animals-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Accommodating travellers and tourists-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Housing townsfolk - terraces and cottages-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	1820s-1850s land grants-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Townships-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Administering and alienating Crown lands-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Changing land uses - from rural to suburban-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	19th century suburban developments-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Early Sydney Street-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Creating landmark structures and places in suburban settings-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Suburban Consolidation-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Suburban Expansion-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Developing suburbia-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Cultural Social and religious life-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Role of transport in settlement-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Going to the pub-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The Odd Fellows Inn is of State significance as a reflection of the function of Parramatta as a major regional centre as well as being part of the pattern of development along Church Street beyond the town centre (Form 1997, p.79).
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The Odd Fellows Inn is of State significance as a rare pre-1850s commercial building, particularly given its condition and integrity.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The Odd Fellows Inn is of State signficance for the buildings integrity and condition. Apart from some minor alterations the original proportions and openings have been retained (Form 1997, p79).
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Heritage Act	Maintenance of gardens and building Order Under Section 57(2) to exempt the following activities from Section 57(1): (1) The maintenance of any building or item on the site where maintenance means the continuous protective care of existing material. (2) Garden maintenance including cultivation, pruning and tree surgery (but not extensive lopping), weed control and the repair and maintenance of existing fences , gates and garden walls.	Jan 30 1987
CMP-Endorse	Conservation Plan submitted for endorsement	Conservation Plan		Apr 24 1997
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register	00276	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - Permanent Conservation Order - former	00276	02 Dec 83	167	5449
Local Environmental Plan	96/2	27 Feb 97		888

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Form Architects	1997	Conservation Plan for The Odd Fellows Arms Inn, 541 Church Street, North Parramatta

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5045131
File number:	S90/04140 & HC 32544

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