White Horse Hotel, Surry Hills

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 sculpture of a silver stallion constructed of galvanised steel, created in a rearing pose and set atop its facade.[1][2]

White Horse Hotel
The White Horse Hotel at night
General information
StatusComplete
TypeAustralian pub
Location381 Crown Street, Surry Hills, New South Wales
CountryAustralia
Coordinates33°53′26″S 151°12′47″E
Completedc. 1930
OwnerPrecision Group
Website
thewhitehorse.com.au

History

The White Horse Hotel was constructed in the 1930s when Surry Hills was a working-class suburb.[2] British historian Jane Peyton writes that at that time, the hotel was a central gathering place for colourful characters.[2]

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.[2] 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.[2]

In 2005 the Hotel was purchased by Precision Group for $7.5 million.[3] The site was again refurbished in 2014 to update lounge areas, restaurant, function room, and a roof top terrace and garden.[1][4] 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".[5][6]

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See also
  • List of public houses in Australia

References
  1. "The White Horse Hotel". Sydney.com. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  2. Peyton, Jane (2006). Pub Scene. London: Academy Press. ISBN 0470018097.
  3. MacDermott, Kathy (20 June 2005). "Precision snatches Victory in Brisbane". The Australian Financial Review.
  4. "In Sydney". Sydney Morning Herald. 2 January 2015. p. 24.
  5. 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.
  6. Bolles, Scott (16 June 2014). "Steven Hiles takes over The White Horse Hotel". Good Food. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
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