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Oddfellows Hotel
South Terrace and Norfolk Street, opened 1 April 1887.
The Norfolk Hotel is located on the corner of South Terrace and Norfolk Street in Fremantle, Western Australia. The stone built hotel was originally constructed in 1887, before the 1893 Kalgoorlie gold rush, for Alfred Alexander Davies Jnr. For most of its life it was known as the Oddfellows Hotel; it was renamed in 1985 when substantial renovations removed the front of the hotel. Wikipedia. It is currently [?] owned by the Prendiville Group, which also owns the Tradewinds (Plympton) and Pier 21.
The Oddfellows Hotel in 1935, thanks to the Fremantle Library photo #1851, with this caption: At the time this photo was taken, the Publican was Thomas Bucknell. His daughter is peeping from the doorway to the left. Miss Bennett is in front of the building. Her family came down from the Goldfields every year and stayed at the hotel. Note the horse trough to the right. The Oddfellows was substantially altered in 1986 and renamed the Norfolk Hotel.
The Norfolk Street side of the former Oddfellows Hotel. Google Maps photo. The portrait chiselled in the wall is of Dorothy Tangney, first female senator, who apparently spent some time in Fremantle (tho she was born in North Perth and died in Wembley). It's the work of Alexandre Farto, aka Vhils.
Oddfellows Hotel in 1910, Wikipedia.
SLWA 221144PD, 3 April 1950.
Oddfellows Hotel in 1984, Lost Perth.
In 2018, the basement has been given the name The Odd Fellow.
Heritage Council:
The Oddfellows Hotel (Norfolk Hotel) was built in 1887 by George Alfred Davies on the corner of Norfolk Street and South Terrace.
In 1880, the rate books indicate Davies, a shopkeeper, as owner of Lot 241, on which there were a number of cottages which he leased to several occupants. In 1884 a Fee Simple Title was issued to Mr G.A. Davies, merchant, now being the sole proprietor of Lot 241. In 1887, the rate books indicate a 'new hotel building' on lot 241.
Mr Davies was born in Fremantle in 1846 and worked in his father's business from 1863-67 before establishing Grosvenor Cellars, wine and spirit merchants. He was a town councillor until 1887 and later became Mayor of Fremantle in 1895. Mr Davies died on 31 January 1897 and the Oddfellows Hotel was put into Trusteeship under the management of A.E. Davies, Letty Davies and George Davies.
After WWI, the demand for hotels to answer a need for drinking establishments rather than for accommodation brought about changes to their internal structure.
In 1922, the Trustees ownership of the estate, the Oddfellows hotel was bought by the Castlemaine Brewery of East Fremantle. The ownership did not last, as the Swan Brewery bought the Castlemaine Brewery in 1927. From this period onwards a number of publicans were employed to manage the hotel. Ownership remained with the Swan Brewery until 1952.
SLWA 099575, beer garden on Derby Day, 26 December 1953.
From 1952, private owners and companies bought, sold and managed the Oddfellows Hotel.
Major additions and alterations costing $500, 000 occurred in 1985 when much of the building was demolished and the front courtyard created. The hotel, renamed Norfolk, sold for $1m to Brewtech, which also owned Sail & Anchor. The courtyard was extended in 2002.
The building is currently (2013) the Norfolk Hotel.
Physical Description
Two storey stone structure with brick quoining and zincalume hipped roof, located behind a stone wall. There is a central and prominent chimney with corbelling and a basement with an entrance via stairs, facing Norfolk Street. There are single storey additions to the south side of the building. The first floor has a large pulley above an opening, which has timber tongue and groove casement doors with large hinges. Extensive alterations evident.
Statement of Significance
The Oddfellows Hotel is historically and socially important, for its association with significant Fremantle personality George Alfred Davies. Significant example of a stone building from the pre-gold boom period in Fremantle. (Heritage Council)
References and Links
Wikipedia page.
Norfolk Hotel website
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 23 September, 2014 and hosted at freotopia.org/hotels/oddfellows.html (it was last updated on 11 February, 2024), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.