White Horse Hotel, Surry Hills

The White Horse Hotel is a three-storey pub located at 381 Crown Street in Surry Hills, close to the CBD of Sydney in NSW, 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]

The White Horse Hotel

White Horse Hotel at night
General information
Type Hotel
Address

381 Crown Street

Surry Hills 2010

Sydney, NSW
Coordinates 33°53′26.3292″S 151°12′46.5300″E / 33.890647000°S 151.212925000°E / -33.890647000; 151.212925000
Completed circa 1930
Owner Precision Group
Website
www.thewhitehorse.com.au

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. According to Peyton, the Scottish designer responsible for the make-over commissioned the sculpture from his homeland, but had difficulty convincing the City of Sydney it was a work of art, rather than an advertisement.[3] The piece was also challenging to import:

It was made in Scotland by sculptor Andy Scott, cut into pieces, shipped to Australia and then reconstructed on the roof.[3]

Nevertheless, the sculpture was approved by the City of Sydney and installed, and is now a key feature of Crown Street.

In 2005 the Hotel was purchased by Shaun Bonétt’s Precision Group for $7.5 million.[4]

In 2008, the White Horse Hotel won the Sydney Business Awards Best Bar/Hotel/Nightclub award.[5]

The site was again refurbished in 2014 to update lounge areas, restaurant, function room, and a roof top terrace and garden.[1][6][7]

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".[8][9]

Transport

The White Horse Hotel is a short distance from Central Railway Station and a number of State Transit Authority routes.[7]

External links

References

  1. 1 2 "The White Horse Hotel". Sydney.com. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  2. ↑ "Contact Us". www.thewhitehorse.com.au. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Peyton, Jane (2006). Pub Scene. London: Academy Press. ISBN 0470018097.
  4. ↑ MacDermott, Kathy (June 20, 2005). "Precision snatches Victory in Brisbane". The Australian Financial Review.
  5. ↑ "The White Horse". www.barsandnightclubs.com.au. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  6. ↑ "The White Horse". Best Restaurants of Australia. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  7. 1 2 "In Sydney". Sydney Morning Herald. Jan 2, 2015. p. 24.
  8. ↑ Klein, Zachary (September 16, 2014). "The White Horse Hotel; Majestically Saved by a Radical Refurbishment". Indesign Live: Daily Connection to Architecture & Design. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  9. ↑ Bolles, Scott (June 16, 2014). "Steven Hiles takes over The White Horse Hotel". Good Food. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
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