By Vanessa Cavasinni, editor Australian Hotelier
The Guildford Hotel in Perth, which was destroyed by a fire in 2008, will re-open this week after having been rebuilt by The Publican Group.
The pub was gutted by a fire – deemed suspicious – six years ago, and remained untouched until the property was leased to the Publican Group in 2013. With the help of architectural firm Fratelle Group and Ultimo Design & Construction, the Publican Group began rebuilding the pub in 2015.
“We were passionate about this build from the very start,” Publican Group director John Ahern said. “The Guildford Hotel has so much history and so many connections to the Perth community that we knew we needed to do what we could to make her shine again.”
Works on the hotel finished recently. Throughout the newly renovated pub are nods to its history, dating back to the 1880s, and of course, to the fire that razed it in 2008. The charred remains of the hotel's original features have been left in certain spots throughout the hotel, as a reminder of what happened. Bricks have been uncovered with the scratchings of the convicts who made them, and the new design has also made the hotel feel more contemporary.
“The whole building was carefully renovated to give that feel of grandeur, but also that aged-look feel,” Ahern added. “Marrying old features into the architecture has been crucial — blending the new with the old has been one of the many highlights of the refurbishments.”
The crowning glory of the Guildford Hotel though, is the replica of the original belvedere, which was built to the configurations found in a 1914 watercolour drawing of the hotel. The belvedere was installed earlier this year, with a large crowd of locals gathered to watch it being installed.
The Guildford Hotel will re-open to the public on Thursday 26 May 2016.
More information and a look into the rebuild and design of the Guildford Hotel can be found in next month’s issue of Australian Hotelier. Subscribe to the digital edition of the magazine here.