Imperial Hotel

Item details


Name of item:	Imperial Hotel
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Commercial
Category:	Hotel
Location:	Lat: -33.7714501493 Long: 150.8433532430
Primary address:	1 Rooty Hill Road North, Rooty Hill, NSW 2766
Parish:	Rooty Hill
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	Blacktown
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Deerubbin

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
PART LOT	91		DP	865716
PART LOT	93		DP	865716

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
1 Rooty Hill Road North	Rooty Hill	Blacktown	Rooty Hill	Cumberland	Primary Address
cnr Rooty Hill Road and North Parade	Rooty Hill	Blacktown	Rooty Hill	Cumberland	Alternate Address
North Parade	Rooty Hill	Blacktown	Rooty Hill	Cumberland	Alternate Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Dyemist Pty Ltd	Private	25 Mar 99

Statement of significance:


	The Imperial Hotel was built in 1890 to cater for the crowds who arrived by train to attend the greyhound racing at Plumpton. A significant architectural landmark and social meeting point (LEP listing, 2002).
	Date significance updated: 09 Feb 06
	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


Physical description:	A two storey corner hotel in brickwork and cement render with verandah to the street frontage at the first floor level having cast iron lace balustrading and cast iron columns (LEP, 2002). The hotel abuts the corner, with a beer garden to the southwest alongside North Avenue, and car parking area to the north facing Rooty Hill Road. A number of additions have been made to the rear of the building over time, including a single storey section that has been altered, along with a c.1995 addition which infilled the courtyard facing North Parade which created a bistro at the rear (GSA, 2006).
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Internally much of the original and early building fabric survives including timber staircase, several fireplaces, various ceiling linings (plaster, timber and pressed metal), decorative plaster cornices and details. (1995).
	Date condition updated:08 Feb 07
Modifications and dates:	Later single storey additions immediately behind the original two storey hotel. Unsympathetic and of little/no intrinsic heritage value (Rod Howard, HIS, 1995). 1987: work on entry foyer 1990: accomodation converted to office space 1995: restoration works, alterations and additions.


Current use:	hotel
Former use:	hotel

History

Historical notes:

The Imperial Hotel was built as two storeys in 1890 to cater for the crowds who arrived by train to attend the greyhound racing at Plumpton (LEP listing, 2002). FJ Weston of Horsley Park developed the hotel that was opened on 12 August 1890. At the time Rooty Hill was part of the St. Mary's Parish. The locality was identified on maps as early as 1803 and known by the name of Rooty Hill by 1810.

The area is associated with government administration with a reserve for Government owned cattle. It is identified with a number of prominent landowners, including Walter Lamb who established a cnanery and fruit preserving works at his Woodstock estate in Plumpton (Rooty Hill) in 1884, in addition to his pastoral activities. It was also the locality of early wine growing at Minchinbury, the estate of Dr Charles Mackay, to the south of the railway line. The Great Western Railway line gave impetus to the development of Rooty Hill, with the station serving hte vineyards and the cannery. A public school was opened in 1875 and the School of Arts (1902) was the venue for the first meeting of Blacktown Council in 1906. Blacktown was proclaimed a shire in 1906.

At the time of the hotel's opening Rooty Hill appears to have been a growing centre with a number of local shops and private residences, which were augmented by the hotel. The hotel prospered early on with crowds attracted to the coursing (a form of greyhound racing) which was established at Lamb's Woodstock Coursing Track. (GSA, 2006, p6). The racetrack was a focus for local community activity, but business went into decline and the licence to sell beer was transferred to Wallacia in 1936.

It operated as a wine bar owned by Penfolds Wines, but became semi-derelict by the early 1970s. A local dentist purchased the hotel in 1977, when the hotel was boarded up. The National Trust classified the property in 1976, leading to a PCO in 1981. Building applications were lodged with council 1981-82 and the hotel reopened in 1982.

A single storey extension was constructed in c1995 along North Parade filling in a semi-enclosed courtyard. A pepper tree (Schinus molle var. areira) in the beer garden area near North Parade appears to be 40 to 50 years old (Tall Timbers, 2005). There is evidence of past specimens of pepper trees on this site.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
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	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements	Coaching Inns along roads-
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	Development in response to railway lines-
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	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	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Sub-division of large estates-
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 regional settings-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working in places of public entertainment-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Gathering at landmark places to socialise-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Going to the racetrack-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Sport-Activities associated with organised recreational and health promotional activities	Racing greyhound dogs-

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
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 Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		00114	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - Permanent Conservation Order - former		00114	01 May 81	64	2456
Local Environmental Plan	Imperial Hotel		12 Apr 02	72
Local Environmental Plan		1988	03 Jan 92	002	34
National Trust of Australia register	Imperial Hotel	8568

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	GSA Planning	2006	Heritage Impact Statement - minor alterations to No.1 Rooty Hill Road North

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:	5045322
File number:	EF14/4412; S90/6226/2

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