Exchange Hotel (Balmain)

Exchange Hotel
General information
Address	Cnr Beattie and Mullens Streets, Balmain, NSW 2041
Coordinates	33°51′32″S 151°10′38″E
Opened	1885

The Exchange Hotel is an historic pub in the suburb of Balmain in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.

History

The Exchange Hotel was the last pub to be built during the local boom of the 1880s. It was also the largest in the Balmain and Rozelle area. The original building consisted of 40 rooms connected with 2.1-metre-wide (7 ft) corridors.

The pub became a major meeting point for the local community and in the early years as the centre for union members, including those of the Balmain Labourers Union which later went on to become the Painters and Dockers Union.

Architecture

The building is a three storey structure constructed in the Victorian Free Classical style. It has rendered masonry and a verandah with iron lace and timber lattice decorations to the middle level with timber posts to footpath. The original construction had an additional upper verandah which has since been removed. All of the balcony, column and railings were produced at the nearby Annandale Foundry.

Heritage status

The pub is a NSW heritage listed building and has been assessed as having state, historical and architectural significance.

References

• Davidson, B; Hamey, K; Nicholls, D; Called To The Bar - 150 Years of pubs in Balmain & Rozelle, The Balmain Association, 1991, ISBN 0-9599502-6-5.
• Nicholls, D; Baglin, D; Clarke, G; Around Balmain, The Balmain Association, 1986, ISBN 0-9599502-5-7.
• New South Wales Government Heritage Register; Exchange Hotel; Accessed October 2006

External links

• Exchange Hotel Website