White Horse Hotel, Surry Hills

The White Horse Hotel

White Horse Hotel at night
General information
Type Hotel
Address 381 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Coordinates 33°53′26″S 151°12′47″E / 33.89056°S 151.21306°E / -33.89056; 151.21306Coordinates: 33°53′26″S 151°12′47″E / 33.89056°S 151.21306°E / -33.89056; 151.21306
Completed circa 1930
Owner Precision Group
Website
www.thewhitehorse.com.au

The White Horse Hotel is a three-storey public hotel located at 381 Crown Street in Surry Hills, close to the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Its appearance is distinguished by a large, iconic sculpture of a silver stallion constructed of galvanised steel, created in a rearing pose and set atop its facade.[1][2][3]

History

The White Horse Hotel was constructed in the 1930s when Surry Hills was a working class suburb.[3] British historian Jane Peyton writes that at that time, the hotel was a central gathering place for colourful characters.[3]

Since then, Surry Hills has become gentrified over time and with it the Hotel has improved significantly. The Hotel was refurbished in 2004, at which time a new bar and a brasserie were installed, and the silver stallion was lifted onto the roof, but initially had difficulty convincing the City of Sydney it was a work of art, rather than an advertisement.[3] According to Peyton, the sculpture, by Andy Scott, was challenging to import. It was made in Scotland, cut into pieces, shipped to Australia and then reconstructed on the roof.[3]

In 2005 the Hotel was purchased by Precision Group for $7.5 million.[4] The site was again refurbished in 2014 to update lounge areas, restaurant, function room, and a roof top terrace and garden.[1][5] Notably, designer Matt Woods commissioned local artists such as Ben Morris to decorate the walls in the downstairs section with murals around the theme "café racer-inspired" bar as part of an approach "rooted in the heritage of the site".[6][7]

References

  1. 1 2 "The White Horse Hotel". Sydney.com. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  2. ↑ "Contact Us". www.thewhitehorse.com.au. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Peyton, Jane (2006). Pub Scene. London: Academy Press. ISBN 0470018097.
  4. ↑ MacDermott, Kathy (20 June 2005). "Precision snatches Victory in Brisbane". The Australian Financial Review.
  5. ↑ "In Sydney". Sydney Morning Herald. 2 January 2015. p. 24.
  6. ↑ Klein, Zachary (16 September 2014). "The White Horse Hotel; Majestically Saved by a Radical Refurbishment". Indesign Live: Daily Connection to Architecture & Design. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  7. ↑ Bolles, Scott (16 June 2014). "Steven Hiles takes over The White Horse Hotel". Good Food. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
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