Norseman Hotel

Statement of Significance

- The place demonstrates the prosperity of the town of Norseman in the Inter-War period, and the confidence in this prosperity continuing into the future.
- The place is reminiscent of the style and form of the large two-storey corner hotels commonly constructed in regional areas during the gold boom era.
- The place was designed by prominent architectural firm Cavanagh & Cavanagh.
- The place is a landmark in the main street of Norseman.

Values

• The place demonstrates the prosperity of the town of Norseman in the Inter-War period, and the confidence in this prosperity continuing into the future.
• The place is reminiscent of the style and form of the large two-storey corner hotels commonly constructed in regional areas during the gold boom era.
• The place was designed by prominent architectural firm Cavanagh & Cavanagh.
• The place is a landmark in the main street of Norseman.

Physical Description

The place is a substantial two-storey brick and iron hotel constructed in the Inter-War period, albeit in an understated Federation Filigree style. The hotel covers the whole corner with one entry door facing the corner. Quoins on windows and doors, as well as the base foundation, have been painted heritage green with the remainder of the brickwork painted cream. A timber verandah lines the entire frontage with basic timber detailing to the top floor. The roof comprises unpainted standard orb corrugated iron. Chimneys are plain rectangular form, and windows appear to be a mix of timber sash and casement. The hotel’s appearance echoes the large hotel’s of the gold boom era, but evidence indicates it was constructed in 1935. No interior images were available for this preliminary review.

History

The town of Norseman is situated within the Shire of Dundas on the Dundas goldfield, which was proclaimed in August 1893. Norseman has its beginnings in 1894 when Laurie Sinclair’s horse ‘Norseman’ allegedly uncovered a piece of gold bearing quartz which led to Sinclair’s discovery of a rich gold reef. By 1895 Norseman was declared a town, and a Municipality in 1896.

By 1899 there were five hotels in town, and in 1909 Norseman was linked to Coolgardie by rail. However, by the 1910s the gold output was dropping rapidly as was the town’s population and by 1920 this was around 300 people. The latter part of the 1920s was more prosperous for Norseman with a new mine opening, and the railway to Esperance completed in 1929. With the arrival of Western Mining in 1935 this prosperity increased and in 1936 Norseman was connected to the pipeline from Coolgardie.

The Shire of Dundas Municipal Inventory, and a story in the Coolgardie Miner newspaper, indicates that the Norseman Hotel was designed by architects Cavanagh and Cavanagh, and constructed in 1935. It is described as: [having] some 39 bedrooms, a large dining room, two lounges, commercial room, two entrance halls, parlour, two saloon and one large main bar, which is 40 feet long, linen room, two pantries (one upstairs for the convenience of morning teas etc), sitting room, writing room, kitchen, scullery, and the usual outhouses and garages. In addition the place is said to have a 25,000-30,000 gallon underground fresh water storage tank, a refrigeration and cooling system for liquors, and an automatic electric hoist to bring up beers etc from the cellar. Interior furnishings were said to be of Tasmanian Oak and Jarrah, with linoleum imported from Scotland.

Records indicate there was a Norseman Hotel already in town by at least 1907 which was constructed c.1895 with 14 rooms. No information about the demolition of the original Norseman Hotel has been located. Given the style of the current hotel, and its almost identical appearance to hotels such as the Murchison Club Hotel in Cue (1896), it is tempting to suggest that this is the original Norseman Hotel which was refurbished in 1935 rather than constructed in that year. However, information in newspaper articles at the time quite clearly identify this as the ‘new’ hotel. It is unclear if the current structure replaced an original hotel, but this is quite likely given the position of the corner location within the townsite. It has been difficult to determine which hotels were situated on which corners from the records available.

The Norseman Hotel continues to be used as a hotel for accommodation and recreation.

Condition

The place is in good condition

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.