Saracen's Head Hotel, 387-389 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme1985
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Total copies: 1
Title:
Saracen's Head Hotel, 387-389 Bourke Street, Melbourne
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Date of work:
1985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 541400
Level of description:
Item from Collection: Heritage Collection (HC)
Type of materials:
Graphic materialsTextual material
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Series: Central City (BIF-CITY)
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UnrestrictedOpen access.
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UnrestrictedPlease contact City of Melbourne Libraries about obtaining permission to reproduce images.
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RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER 2024:__________________________________________________DATE: 1847?, 1875 added storey;ASSOCIATIONS: Bennett, Charles;DESIGNER: SMITH, SYDNEY W. 1875 additions;Period: Early Victorian/ Victorian___________________________GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM_______________________________________City of Melbourne maps_______________________________________Victorian Heritage DatabaseLast updated on - August 15, 2005_______________________________________BIBBS MAPThomas Bibbs, c1856-7, Melbourne Roll Plan 12 (PROV, VPRS 8168/P3 Historic Plan Collection, Unit 46, MELBRL 12)same plan outline___________________________National Trust of Australia (Vic)Badly defaced hotel building of interest for the Saracenic Visigothic horseshoe arches, an unusual stylistic element in Victoria.Classified: 05/06/1958_______________________________________CASEY ,MAIE (Editor), etc. (Editor) 1975, EARLY MELBOURNE ARCHITECTURE, 1840-1888image of hotel;___________________________I-HeritageFormer Saracen's Head Hotel (see DP 1011, 1894 - no verandah indicated ) See parapet; 1856 plan shows same outline; VI - p. 366 (no verandah) & p. 364,162_______________________________________NEWSPAPERS (TROVE)Port Phillip Gazette and Settler's Journal (Vic. : 1845 - 1850) Sat 7 Aug 1847 Page 3R. THRELKELD(Late, of the ' Bird-'in-Hand,' Little Flinders-street) 'BEGS to inform his numerous friends and the Public, that be lias taken tliose'extensive and newly erected premises opposite the Golden Fleece, Great Bourke-street, and known as theSARACEN'S HEADR. T. in soliciting public patronage, begs to atate that he has fitted up too 'above premises in first-rate style ; that he has spared neither pains nor expense to enable him todo so ; and that nothing shall be wonting on his part to give general satisfaction.TO BUSHMENand others -visiting Molbourne,.the above Inn holds out every advontage to Bushmen and Settlers in particular, who having business to transact with the principal StockAgents in town (Messrs. Kirk & Company, and Messrs. MIcklo and Lilburnc), will find that his Inn being in the immediate vicinity of their marts, (not ono minute's walk fromeither,) offers to them a rare opportunity to meet with every accommodation ; and with respect to his -SLEEPING APARTMENTS,(which, are under.the care of efficient female domestics), ho further ' begs to state' that they are furnished with evory requisite so that Bushmen may, after the fatigues of a long journey, meet with every comforttliat can be afforded in Molbourne.In conclusion he has only further to add, that he has laid in a very extensive and choice selection ofWINES, SPIRITS, etc. etc.,which he pledges to be equal to any sold in Melbourne ; and from Ins long experience in the above line, it will he his chief study to afford every attendance to those who maypatronise lum-— so as to soonre a continuance of their .favors.LUNCHEONSProvided at a moment's notice.Soups always ready .from twelve to three o'clock daily.CHARGES VERY MODERATE..1875MarchLicesnce: Denis O'Keefe to Charles Bennett, Saracen's Head Hotel, Bourke-street.The Sarackn's IIeau.—It is notified in another column that Mr. Charles Bennett, who was in the employ of Mr. Thunder some years ago, has -again started business as an hotel keeper at the Saracen's Head Hotel, Bourke street west, Melbourne. Mr. Bennett formerly was landlord of the Royal Arcade Hotel, which he had to leave some three months ago. owing toill-health..The Argus (Melbourne) Sat 16 Oct 1875 Page 10SYDNEY W. SMITH, architect, Invites TENDERS for BUILDING an additional brick story to the Saracen's Head Hotel, Bourko-street west. Plans and specifications at his office, Grey-street St Kilda.1876https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/88253266THE SARACEN'S HEAD HOTEL, Bourkc-strect, Melbourne, has been taken by Mr. Bennett, a well-known Bendigonian, and he announces, in our columns, thai he has made extensive improvements in his house, by which he can give those who favor him with a visit a comfortable residence while in Town-ail, in fact, which isimplied in the idea of a first-class hotel.see advertisement https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/267944643CHARLES BENNETT,Saracen's Head Hotel, Bourne-street, West,Close to Post office, HAS just completed Extensive Improvements in the above well-known hostelry, and is prepared to offer families and visitors generally, the greatest amount ofaccomodation and comfort at the most reasonable cost..1949.The Herald (Melbourne) Sat 1 Oct 1949 Page 20A turbaned head and whiskered face once, surmountted the Saracen's Head Hotel In Bourke St.. Melbourne;?.?., It! isa very . old : English irin; sign adopted fr'om,the head bf the Saracen as it appeared on the shields. . of some of the Crusaders. Oliver Cromwell sometimes stayed at the' Saracen's Head 'at Great Durirriow.Port Phillip Gazette and Settler's Journal (Vic. : 1845 - 1850) Mon 26 Mar 1849 Page 3advert from.The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, Vic. : 1922 - 1954; 1956)Wednesday 28 October 1942 - Page 9SARACEN’S HEAD HOTEL £22,500 Bid To Bank...This was short of the reserve, but firm negotiations....2023sydney-morning-herald, July 22, 2023Bourke Street McEwans landmark on the blockByNicole LindsayThe former home of the McEwans CBD hardware shop, at 387-391 Bourke Street, is for sale.The McEwans chain, established in Melbourne in 1852, once dominated hardware retailing in Victoria. It was purchased by Bunnings in 1993, spearheading the Perth-based juggernaut’s grip on the country’s hardware supplies.While the building formed part of McEwans from the 1960s – and a Bunnings until 2005 – it started out its life as the Saracens Head Hotel in 1875.Next door, at 385 Bourke Street, is a 41-storey tower and the Galleria retail plaza built in 1983. Its neighbour, the Foundry, formed the rest of the old McEwans building and was revamped as apartments in 2007. More recently, it was transformed again into the lobby for NAB’s new 405 Bourke Street office. Cbus is building another office tower on the corner of Queen Street.JLL’s Peden, Rutman and Li have carriage of the listing. The property is on a 345 square metre site and last changed hands for $7.2 million. It is expected to sell for between $9 million and $10 million and is one of only two privately owned freeholds left in the southern section of Bourke Street..2024https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/news/saracens-head-hotel-back-on-the-chopping-block-1263099/sydney-morning-herald, FEB 19, 2024NICOLE LINDSAYSaracens Head Hotel back on the chopping blockThe first CBD auction for the year has been locked in, with 387–391 Bourke Street going under the hammer on March 8.Just up the road from the Bourke Street Mall, the building was a McEwans hardware store in the last century and the Saracens Head Hotel in the 19th century.It was also one of the many properties listed for sale during 2023 which failed to sell. It’s early days for 2024, but agents are reporting greater levels of enquiry and confidence among buyers and vendors. The former home of the McEwans CBD hardware shop is expected to sell for about $9 million. Photo: SuppliedCushman & Wakefield’s Daniel Wolman, Oliver Hay, Leon Ma and Anthony Kirwan are handling the auction.The double-storey building sits close to NAB’s new office tower (also on an old McEwans’ site) and Cbus’ new $1 billion office tower on the corner of Queen St, where the Commonwealth Bank is a committed tenant.It’s on a 345-square-metre site and is one of only two privately held freehold properties on the block.The building last changed hands for $7.2 million and is expected to fetch around $9 million.Meanwhile, the C&W Melbco team has made the first CBD transaction for the year selling 105 Elizabeth Street for $7.55 million in an off-market deal, reflecting a land price of $30,443 per square metre.___________________________FacebookWhitey Alan WhitePubs Your Dad And Gramps Drank InApril 16 ·1958. Just before midnight on Saturday, a piano and violin will play 'God Save the Queen' in the dining-room of the Saracen's Head Hotel in Bourke-st, and one of Melbourne's oldest hotels will close for the last time. The 109-year-old building will be modernised and re-opened later this year by one of Melbourne's largest retailers. It will be the third Melbourne hotel in less than three weeks to stop trading. A fourth has been sold and will close soon. But it's not that hotels aren't profitable for licensees. The Saracen Head and the two hotels that have closed recently - the Cosmopolitan in Swanston-st and the Castlemaine in South Melbourne - had a combined gross turnover of about £125,000. The Saracens Head dining room has been one of the most popular in Melbourne. Each Friday and Saturday nights it has been booked out. It will be the ninth hotel to close in the 'Golden Mile' since 1954. [The Herald] Saracen's Head Hotel was at 389 Bourke StreetPhoto and information from HeraldSun retro'_______________________________________Robert K. Cole Index SLVSaracen Head, Melbourne, a hotel entry in the Robert K. Cole Index of Victorian hotels, 1841-1949.Abstract/Summary: Licensee: BRAY, WILLIAM HENRYDate: JUL 1866Location: Not identifiedReference: Volume 1; Page 43Licensee: THRELKALD, MARYDate: 1856/57Location: Not identifiedReference: Volume 1; Page 43Licensee: CROPE, GEORGE J.Date: 1861Licensee: BROWN, WILLIAMDate: 1862/64Licensee: JESSOP, JOSHUADate: APR 1860Licensee: BUTLER, EDWARDDate: SEP 1857/58Licensee: THRELKALD, ROBERTDate: APR 1847/52Supplementary information: Additional information may be available.This is one of the entries in the Robert K. Cole Index of Victorian hotels (MS 7592). Index entries may contain the name of the licensee, owner, or other individuals associated with the hotel; name of the hotel, dates when the licence was held, and in some instances additional information compiled from various sources such as post office directories and newspaper and trade journal notices.This record refers to volume and page numbers for the typed transcripts of the Melbourne city and suburban volumes of the Robert K. Cole index of Victorian hotels, compiled by Eric Tetlow (published State Library of Victoria, 2000).Source: Robert K. Cole Index of Victorian hotels___________________________STOREY OF MELBOURNE WEB SITE, 2024 (Rohan Storey)https://storeyofmelbourne.org/2020/01/25/saracens-head-hotel-bourke-street-minus-the-actual-head/Saracens Head Hotel, Bourke Street, minus the actual head.From the archives – the #SaracensHeadHotel on #BourkeStreet Up from Elizabeth was created 1875 by adding a floor to the 1847 original. Basically a typical Italianate form, but the arches are (just) keyhole arches, there’s a couple of crescent motif finials, and a pair of onion dome ones, and an actual Saracen’s head. The first photo was taken c1950 for #MaieCasey’s seminal 1953 book Early Melbourne Architecture, but only a few years later in a photo from @heraldsunphoto_retro from 1958 when it closed it had lost some details, though not the actual Saracens Head. It was altered again probably not long after to become shops, losing the ground floor completely and perhaps the parapet, but the details that remain are unusual, if you look closely. Third photo @cityofmelbourne, and details from just this week (by Graeme Butler). We’re lucky to have anything at all, since the #StateBankofVictoria bought it in the 20s for possible future expansion, but it wasn’t needed for the 30s building or the current CommBank that replaced it in the early 1980s. Surprisingly this is one of the few Victorian buildings in the CBD not heritage listed.___________________________
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Record number:
1267420
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 541400 | 1 JPEG : 148 KB ; A4 | Single Item (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |