| London Hotel | |||||||||||
| Map Dot Label: | London Hotel | ||||||||||
| Building Type: | Heritage listed building | ||||||||||
| Location: | Albany, Western Australia | ||||||||||
| Coordinates: | -35.0268°N 117.8831°W | ||||||||||
| Embedded: |
| ||||||||||
The London Hotel is a hotel located on Stirling Terrace overlooking Princess Royal Harbour in Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.[1]
The current building was built in 1909 for the sum of £7,000. The building was designed by architect J. Herbert Eales.[2] The proprietor was Harry C. Sims, with work completed by contractor A. Thompson. It was built on the site of the Chusan Hotel which had stood on the site since 1849 and was rebuilt in 1871.[3] When it was constructed the two storey brick built hotel was plastered and surrounded by large spacious balconies. The entrance hall was reminiscent of an English mansion; a 22feet by 20feet drawing room opened onto the balcony, as did the dining room of similar proportions. The public bars were located on the ground floor.[2] Sims remained the proprietor of the hotel until 1918.[4] In 1930 the hotel was put up for auction and was sold to E. S. Cowan, a local resident, for £7500.[5] Following the death of Cowan the hotel was again put up for auction in 1935 and was passed in for £4,750. The property was subsequently sold privately to Mrs R. Ruse of Mount Barker.[6]
Kester Solomon, a professional gambler, took over the hotel in 2009 and transformed the interior, creating a European style coffee bar and a New York style cocktail bar. The hotel, now known as Liberte, has been refurbished with timber floors, regal wallpaper, mantelpieces and gilded mirrors.[7]