Royal Hotel & Outbuildings

Item details


Name of item:	Royal Hotel & Outbuildings
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Commercial
Category:	Hotel
Location:	Lat: -36.2378878526 Long: 149.1163344490
Primary address:	59 - 61 Lambie Street, Cooma, NSW 2630
Parish:	Cooma
County:	Beresford
Local govt. area:	Snowy Monaro Regional
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Merrimans

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	B		DP	326660
LOT	2		DP	553752

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
59 - 61 Lambie Street	Cooma	Snowy Monaro Regional	Cooma	Beresford	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Royal Hotel	Private

Statement of significance:


	A fine two storey stone pub with original outbuildings of Georgian/Victorian character which occupies an important site on the Snowy Mountains Highway and which makes a splendid entrance to Lambie Street and its other pleasant residential buildings. (Heritage Office, 1991)
	Date significance updated: 26 Jul 02
	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


Construction years:	1858-
Physical description:	The Royal Hotel is a large two storey hotel with outbuildings all constructed of dressed freestone and build in 1858. It is of simple Georgian style with a late Victorian cast iron decorated verandah and balcony on the street corner and 4 large decorative gables added to the early hipped roof. The two storey wing facing Lambie Street retains its original rolled iron roof and Georgian style 12 paned windows. The building is generally in good order apart from the main bar areas which have been altered in this century and would benefit from restoration. The Royal Hotel and its outbuildings consist of a stone terrace , a 2 storey house, 2 storey terrace, a brick cottage and semi detached cottages. As a group they collectively exhibit valuable sandstone architecture which provided a outstanding entrance to one of the most interesting historical and architectural streets of Cooma. The semi detached cottages exisit as a pair of victorian semi with Gothic influences. They rest on stone foundations having bay window fronts, scalloped fretwork gable barges and timber and iron verandahs. Face brick walls relieved by painted stuccoed toothed quoins, door and window reveals and bay window spandrels. Verandah balustrading and stair handrails require restoration otherwise building is in near original condition. The brick cottage that also forms part of the outbuildings is a neat vernalcur residence which perserves the 19th Century integrity of the housing group between Tumut Street and the Highway (Heritage Office, 1991).
Modifications and dates:	In 1986 several alterations were made to the exterior of the Royal Hotel. Stonework repair involved the steam cleaning and repoint of the front of the hotel. Replacement of lacework was untertaken with a loyaltly to the original style. New gutters, downpipes and vally were installed. Sheets of iron for the roof on flat and toilet roof were used to restore the buildings original splendor. The following yearthe owner order replacements to the roof, front and side gutters, the eves on the Hotel and Restuarent plus 4 new sheets of Lace work for the resturant.


Current use:	Hotel
Former use:	Hotel

History

Historical notes:

The original hotel was established in Lambie Street around 1858, less than twenty years after settlement in Cooma first commenced in 1839. Early settlement concentrated in and around Lambie Street which became the focal point of the community activity at the time. Today, the Royal Hotel along with other historic landmarks in the street comprise significant elements of theLambie Town Walk at Cooma.

In 1988 a Permanent Conservation Order was placed on the Royal Hotel.
(Heritage Office, 1991)

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
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-
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]	This hotel is situated in the oldest part of Cooma and is recognised as following the tradition of several architectually and historically interesting cottages from the 1850's to the later part of the nineteenth century.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	A fine two storey stone pub with original outbuildings of Georgian/ Victorian aesthetic.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The Royal Hotel conveys at once a sense of history of the development of domestic architecture of the area and a very handsome piece of streetscape.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	It is one of the oldest buildings in the Cooma precinct.
Integrity/Intactness:	A number of significant elements of the original fabric are still intact.
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	renovate dining roon & front bar Order Under Section 57(2) to exempt the following activities from Section 57(1): Internal decorating and upgrading work to the Dining Room and Front Bar of the Royal Hotel.	Aug 30 1985
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Heritage Act	gen build maintenance 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.	Sep 2 1988
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	00616	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - Permanent Conservation Order - former	00616	02 Sep 88
Heritage Act - s.130 Order - Lapsed		31 Jul 81	108	4118
Heritage Act - s.130 Order - Lapsed		04 Sep 87	108
Register of the National Estate		21 Mar 78

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Tourism	Attraction Homepage	2007	Royal Hotel & Outbuildings	View detail
Photograph	Heritage Office		Royal Hotel LGA Cooma
Tourism	Tourism NSW	2007	Royal Hotel Cooma	View detail

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

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5045289
File number:	S90/01017/HC 33400/EF14/4573

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