Bunbury's historic Rose Hotel entered on heritage register

23/10/96

Bunbury's historic Rose Hotel, a landmark in the city for more than 130 years, is to have its heritage values recognised by the State Government.

Heritage Minister Richard Lewis said the hotel would be placed on the Heritage Council of Western Australia's interim register of heritage places.

Mr Lewis said the Rose Hotel, on the corner of Victoria and Wellington Streets, was a classic example of the historic and social role that hotels played in regional centres.

Built in 1863 and significantly renovated in 1897, the hotel demonstrates the rapid growth of the then townsite of Bunbury.

"The Rose Hotel illustrates the mid-to-late 19th century development of Bunbury," Mr Lewis said.

"Bunbury grew from a military post, through a village phase, to become a town and then the second most populous city in the State.

"Its establishment and stages of growth tell us much about the growing prosperity of the city through the development of its agricultural, timber and coal mining industries.

"In particular, it provides evidence of the widespread effects of the turn of the century gold rushes in the State. Bunbury became the favoured seaside vacation destination for eastern Goldfields residents."

Mr Lewis said Samuel Rose and his wife and child arrived in Bunbury on the Parkfield in 1841, bound for Australind as part of the Australind Settlement Scheme.

In 1863, Samuel Rose built the hotel, a two-storey structure with two-storey timber verandahs. It was typical of other village era main street structures of pre-gold boom Bunbury.

A licence for the new Rose Hotel was initially refused on the grounds that the two other pubs, the Wellington and Swan, were sufficient for Bunbury. This decision was overturned after townsfolk raised a substantial petition.

Mr Lewis said the Rose was rebuilt in 1897, with the addition of decorative cast-iron verandahs the main new feature.

"The Rose Hotel is strongly related to other buildings in Victoria Street and its intersection with Wellington Street," he said.

"The former Railway Station discharged its passengers into Wellington Street less than a block away, ensuring that the volume of pedestrian traffic made it a prosperous gateway to the town.

"The Rose Hotel is a benchmark by which other examples of regional and rural pubs can be assessed.

"The small town-centre residential hotel is an endangered class of building, and the Rose is a particularly well preserved example of this type of pub.

"The hotel also demonstrates a way of life, such as its use as a seaside town family hotel and resting place for commercial travellers, that is in danger of being lost."

Mr Lewis said the hotel was highly valued by the Bunbury community for its social, cultural and aesthetic associations.

"As such, the Rose Hotel deserves the protection of the State's heritage laws," he said.

Media contact : Bronwyn Hillman 222 9595, 221 1377