Glenmore Hotel

Item details


Name of item:	Glenmore Hotel
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Commercial
Category:	Hotel
Location:	Lat: -33.8587087376 Long: 151.2074348830
Primary address:	96-98 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, NSW 2000
Parish:	St Philip
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	Sydney
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Metropolitan

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	106		DP	264104

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
96-98 Cumberland Street	The Rocks	Sydney	St Philip	Cumberland	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Place Management NSW	State Government

Statement of significance:


	Glenmore Hotel and site are of State heritage significance for their historical and scientific cultural values. The site and building are also of State heritage significance for their contribution to The Rocks area which is of State Heritage significance in its own right. The Glenmore Hotel was constructed c.1921 by prominent Sydney brewery Tooth & Co and was designed in the Inter War Georgian Revival style of architecture by a Tooth & Co resident architect. The Hotel contributes to the historic, aesthetic and social values of the state significant precinct of The Rocks through its use, architectural style, building form, streetscape contribution and period of construction. The Glenmore Hotel is significant to the local area for its historic and aesthetic values. It is historically representative of changing hotel operations during the 20th century due to shifting legislation and drinking habits. These changes are embodied in the fabric of the building and are evident in the continuation of the original accommodation uses; the provision of additional facilities such as bathrooms; and the altering of redundant spaces, such as the former parlour, for new uses. The Hotel is historically associated with the prominent Sydney brewery Tooth & Co and its form, fabric and architectural style is representative of Tooths attempt to improve the image of hotels and drinking during the Inter War period. Aesthetically, the Glenmore Hotel is representative of the Georgian Revival style of architecture that was popular during the Inter War period for the reconstruction or remodelling of earlier hotels. The characteristic features of the hotel include face brick walling, rendered and painted details, external tiling, regular fenestration, symmetrical façade, and multi-paned sash windows. As with most hotels, the Glenmore Hotel has been altered with the removal of the original façade balconies, parapet and bar although, the internal spaces have remained largely intact.
	Date significance updated: 30 Mar 11
	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:	Tooth & Co Ltd Architects Office
Builder/Maker:	D. Mitchell
Construction years:	1921-1921
Physical description:	Storeys: 3; Facade: Brick walls, painted timber windows; Side Rear Walls: Brick; Internal Walls: Brick; Roof Cladding: Flat 'malthoid covered' roof; Internal Structure: Wall finish (plaster), tiled wall dado to the Public Bar.; Floor Frame: Floor finish (vinyl), floor covering (carpet); Ceilings: Fibrous plaster & battens; Lifts: No
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Archaeology Assessment Condition: Partly disturbed. Assessment Basis: Excavation in 1993 consisted of the monitoring of holes dug for four piers for a fire stair. One of these revealed a former road surface and gutter of Gloucester St on the eastern side of the hotel. It was evident that layers encountered during excavation were fill, presumably introduced to the site for the hotel's construction. If this is the case, the archaeological resource fronting Gloucester Street, situated at a lower level than Cumberland St, is possibly well preserved. Investigation: Watching Brief
Modifications and dates:	The fabric of the building remained remarkably intact until the 1950's when significant interior alterations were made, especially the removal of the canopy to the Bar. The building suffered structural problems from the outset with a continual record of cracks to the walls and parapets which eventually led to the alterations made by SCRA in 1973 when the tiled bar was shortened and in 1975 when the parapets were removed, the Cumberland Street balconies, the kitchen stairs and the roof top laundry were removed, and a reinforced concrete ring beam and metal handrail was installed to the top of the walls to restrain them. Another major exterior alteration is the painting of the south and east walls of the hotel, assumed to be done under SCRA. (Robertson & Hindmarsh 1992:14-16, with more detail at 8-11) 2005 - The hotel was refurbished with new carpet and paint etc
Further information:	The hotel still trades as a hotel and the 1st and Basement Floor bedrooms are used for residential purposes (primarily as low-cost tourist accommodation).


Current use:	Hotel
Former use:	Aboriginal land, town lot

History

Historical notes:

The "Eora people" was the name given to the coastal Aborigines around Sydney. Central Sydney is therefore often referred to as "Eora Country". Within the City of Sydney local government area, the traditional owners are the Cadigal and Wangal bands of the Eora. There is no written record of the name of the language spoken and currently there are debates as whether the coastal peoples spoke a separate language "Eora" or whether this was actually a dialect of the Dharug language. Remnant bushland in places like Blackwattle Bay retain elements of traditional plant, bird and animal life, including fish and rock oysters (Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani).

With the invasion of the Sydney region, the Cadigal and Wangal people were decimated but there are descendants still living in Sydney today. All cities include many immigrants in their population. Aboriginal people from across the state have been attracted to suburbs such as Pyrmont, Balmain, Rozelle, Glebe and Redfern since the 1930s. Changes in government legislation in the 1960s provided freedom of movement enabling more Aboriginal people to choose to live in Sydney (Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani).

The subject site is known to have been occupied from the early years of 1800, although it is likely that, like the other ridges of The Rocks, it was occupied by the encampment of settlers in the first weeks of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. Originally a residential area for the wealthier people in the colony, away from and above the hospital and its gardens, Meehan's 1807 plan shows a schematic shaded area representing buildings, although these are very sparse in the area of the site. The 1835 Russell Survey of Section 87 Town of Sydney shows part of the site, specifically allotment number 12, was owned by Andrew Coss whose pub, The Punch Bowl, was within the site curtilage between 1832 and 1834. It is thought that a hotel may have been there as early as 1816. Previously Coss had been the proprietor of a pub of the same name in Cambridge Street and after 1834 the license was transferred to Argyle Street. To the north, number 11 is owned by James and Ann Curtis.

In 1864 The Sydney Sands Directory lists Peter Stanton, Grocer, James Harris and George Bainbridge, Master Mariner occupying the houses on the site and Doves plan of 1880 shows three houses, presumably the same ones, at 80-84 Cumberland Street. According to the Sands Directory, they were occupied by Charles William Heydon, Shipwright (80) and John Smith (84), number 82 being vacant. In the 1870s Belleek Terrace, which was mentioned in the Commission into Chinese gambling and corruption in the police force, occupied the site on Gloucester Walk and was not demolished until the beginning of the First World War.

By 1900, Charles Crichton, Storekeeper and Frank Duncan, Boot Maker are listed at 80 Cumberland Street, while 84 was occupied by John Byrnes and Walter L. Whetton was at 86, both of whom lived in the terraces until 1910. The 1901 Darling Harbour Resumption Plan shows block 285 as part of the estate of Francis Smith, Trustees John Powell and Fred K Smith. At this time the depth of the site at its centre line between Cumberland and Gloucester Streets was only 13 metres.

The current Glenmore Hotel is the second hotel in Cumberland Street to bear that name. The first Glenmore Hotel was located to the north of the current hotel on the western side of the street and had been condemned principally because of the imminent construction of the southern approaches to the Harbour Bridge. In April 1919 the Housing Board wrote to Tooth & Co that the hotel was 'ruinous and dilapidated' and 'the Board will be glad to know whether you would be prepared to treat for a 50 years building lease of the site occupied by this Hotel, as, if so, then we will be prepared to consider the same.' Tooth & Co accepted the offer of the new site next to the Argyle Cut and accepted the stipulation that the new building would cost more than 4000 pounds.

It appears that a contract was let for 6,030 pounds in late 1919 or early 1920 with a builder, D.M. Mitchell. By April 1920 the project had come to a halt due to the tardiness of the Water Board in relaying drains in the vicinity of the site. The Builder claimed 257 pounds damages for the delay but the claim was waived after a restructured contract had been agreed to in which Mitchell would not claim his 7.5% fee on the amount that the contract exceeded 7,500 pounds.

To counter the extreme topography of the site bisecting the ridge between Millers Point and The Rocks, the cellars for the new building were cut to the level of Gloucester Street, effectively destroying the bulk of the archaeological evidence of any previous subdivisions and earlier buildings.

By June 1921 the project was becoming sufficiently complete for Tooth & Co to accept a quotation from Bebarfald's Ltd for furnishing the hotel. It appears that the new hotel opened in July 1921 as the old Glenmore Hotel was handed over to the Housing Board on 5 July 1921. The final cost of the hotel is recorded as having been 7,905 pounds 7 shillings and 4 pence. It should be noted however, that some of this information conflicts with that on the SCRA Building data Sheet BH/01.

The subsequent history of the Glenmore Hotel has been fairly uneventful which is typical of other hotels in the Upper Rocks. A few licensees lost their license for in breach of legislation (e.g. trading after hours) and trade fell off during the depression, which coincided with the hotel's loss of clients when the houses opposite were demolished for construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Trade was also badly affected for a few years around 1952 when Cumberland Street was blocked off due to the unsafe nature of the bridge over Argyle Street (the bridge bearing similar cracks to the Glenmore Hotel itself).

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.	Changing the environment-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	(none)-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	Brewing-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	Developing discrete retail and commercial areas-
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	Landscapes of urban amenity-
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.	A Picturesque Residential Suburb-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Applying architectural design to utlilitarian structures-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	(none)-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Going to the pub-
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	Visiting heritage places-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Activities associated with relaxation and recreation-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Tourism-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Going drinking in bars or clubs-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Continuously occupied since it was built in 1921, the subject site offers a colourful and varied history of drinking and leisure activities of The Rocks during the 20th century. The changes in attitudes to drinking and the laws associated with it have been embodied in the very fabric of the building through the continuation of original uses such as accommodation; the provision of facilities such as additional bathrooms; and altering spaces for new uses as seen in the former parlour. The Glenmore Hotel, relocated and rebuilt during the Inter War period, is associated with that phase of resumption and redevelopment in state significant The Rocks precinct. It is historically evident of the program of redevelopment taken to sanitise and improve living conditions in The Rocks.
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	Designed and later altered by Tooth & Co Brewers, the Glenmore Hotel is significant for its connection to one of Sydney’s oldest brewing companies. Tooths was associated with numerous hotels in The Rocks including the Fortune of War Hotel, the ASN Hotels and the Australian Hotel. Consequently the company had a notable presence in The Rocks and contributed to the social and economic life of people in the area. The Glenmore Hotel is one of many hotels throughout NSW that were reconstructed or altered by Tooth & Co during the Inter War period in an effort to present a more wholesome image of hotels, drinking and beer.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Constructed c.1921 and designed by an unknown Tooth & Co architect the Glenmore Hotel is a representative example of a largely intact Inter War Georgian Revival style hotel. Along with the Art Deco, Functionalist, and Free Classical styles of the period the Georgian Revival style was popular for new and modified hotels. The stylistic features of the Hotel include the use of face brick, rendered and painted details, regular fenestration, symmetrical façade, multipaned sash windows, parapet and pediments. The load bearing wall and timber floor construction is typical of the period. The employment of details is relatively utilitarian in comparison to excellent examples of the style but comparable to that of other Tooth & Co Hotels. The aesthetic integrity of the hotel has been diminished through alterations including the removal of the parapet and the façade balconies. The Glenmore Hotel makes a strong contribution to the streetscape and the urban morphology of state significant precinct of The Rocks owning to its form, details and materials. It employs elements in its design characteristic of hotels in The Rocks that were constructed or altered in the Inter War period by Tooth & Co.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The Rocks is socially valuable for the esteem in which the place is held and the contribution to the identity of the wider Sydney community. As a place with a continuous and public use the Glenmore Hotel is considered to make a contribution to the social significance of the Rocks both for its built form as well as its use. The Glenmore Hotel is considered to have some social associations with local patrons and those who visit The Rocks for its public use and as a place of social interaction.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	The site has moderate potential at the Gloucester Street frontage for the recovery of early housing and settlement remains especially deep features such as wells and cess pits. Excavations for four piers during the construction of the northern courtyard fire stairs exposed a section of the former Gloucester Street roadway and kerb. It was destroyed for the foundation of the stairs but it was presumed that further segments survive to the north and south. The site was significantly modified by excavating to the level of the Gloucester Street elevation for the construction of the existing hotel building and hence it is unlikely that significant archaeological deposits remain. For further detail on archaeology see Baseline Archaeological Assessment and the report Archaeological Investigation, The Glenmore Hotel, 96-98 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, Sydney, prepared by E.C.J Lydon in 1993 for the Sydney Cove Authority. Owning to the extent of disturbance of the site potential for indigenous archaeological artefacts at the site is considered to be low.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	Together with the Australian Hotel and the Long’s Lane complex of terraces the Glenmore Hotel is the last surviving pre-Harbour Bridge Building in Cumberland Street north of the Cahill Expressway and is therefore a remnant of the pre-1930 period of urban development in The Rocks.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The Glenmore Hotel is historically representative of the phase of resumptions and redevelopment in The Rocks during the Inter War period. The Hotel is historically representative of the period of Hotel redevelopment during the Inter War period by major breweries to enhance the 'ale-ing' public image of hotels and drinking. The Glenmore Hotel is typical of the program of major alterations or reconstruction of earlier hotels which has largely resulted in the hotel aesthetic surviving throughout NSW. The Glenmore Hotel is aesthetically representative of the Inter War Georgian Revival style of commercial architecture which is common to hotels of the Inter War period.
Integrity/Intactness:	Archaeology partly disturbed
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.

Recommended management:

The external shape, size, height, roofscape and external detailing of existing original elements of hotel should be preserved; Missing external elements of the hotel should be reconstructed , and an earlier appropriate colour scheme should be restored; Extant detail in the interior of the hotel should be preserved and damaged elements restored together with earlier, appropriate colour scheme and finishes; Missing interior details to public areas should be replicated; Fire safety and kitchen facilities should be upgraded without losing the significance of the extant building fabric. (Robertson & Hindmarsh 1992: 31a, also 27-31) Above ground archaeological remains: An archaeological watching brief or monitoring program is recommended. Below ground archaeological remains: An archaeological watching brief or monitoring program is recommended.

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) OF THE HERITAGE ACT 1977 Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977. I, the Hon James Griffin MP, Minister for Environment and Heritage, pursuant to subsection 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales do by this Order, effective at the time of publication in the New South Wales Government Gazette: 1. revoke the order made on 9 November 2020 and published in the Government Gazette Number 318 of 13 November 2020; and 2. grant the exemptions from subsection 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 that are described in the attached Schedule. The Hon James Griffin MP Minister for Environment and Heritage Signed this 2nd day of June 2022. To view the standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 click on the link below.	Jun 17 2022

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		01549	10 May 02	85	2865

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
SCA Register 1979-1998	1998	B009, AR051	Sydney Cove Authority (SCA)		Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Tourism		2007	Glenmore Hotel	View detail
Tourism	Attraction Homepage	2007	Glenmore Hotel	View detail
Written	City Plan Heritage	2006	Glenmore Hotel 96-98 Cumberland Street, The Rocks Conservation Management Plan
Tourism	Heritage Accommodation	2007	Glenmore Hotel Accommodation	View detail
Written	Lydon, E. J. C.	1993	Archaeological Investigation, the Glenmore Hotel, 96-98 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, Sydney. For SCA.
Written	Robertson & Hindmarsh P/L	1992	Conservation Study: An investigation of the significance of the Glenmore Hotel, 96-98 Cumberland Street, The Rocks
Written	SCRA	1979	Building Data Sheet BH/01

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:	5053165

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