The Royal Hotel

Located on the corner of Auburn Road and Queen Street in Auburn . the original hotel on the site was known as Furlong's Royal hotel. This Hotel was purchased by Tooth & Co in May 1939 and rebuilt to a design by Sidney Warden.

Of all the architects that worked for Tooth & Co none designed more hotels than Sidney Warden. He left a legacy of 392 hotels (new and/or alterations to existing buildings) including the Oxford, the Light Brigade, the Mayfair, the Henson Park, the Broadway, the Lansdowne and many many more too numerous to mention.

This is how the original hotel looked in 1936. After Tooth & Co purchased the hotel rebuilding commenced and was completed on the 2nd of December 1940. it was a two storeyed brick structure, roofed partly with tiles and partly with flat concrete blocks and had a fully tiled ground floor exterior. The architectural style is known as P. & O. Ship Style because of its similarities to ocean liner forms.

The Public Bar had a rounded bar area with an inverted light diffuser running the length of the bar. This was supported by four illuminated columns which sat on a rounded light box that ran along the top of the bar. Warden often used concave light diffusers and light boxes to highlight his design elements.

The Saloon Bar also had a flowing rounded bar area with a large circular light panel directly above it. It was a very sophisticated design and echoed the modern design of the times.

The hotel was sold in October 1983 and was demolished in 1985 by Auburn Council to make way for a pedestrian plaza. An ignominious end to one of the great pubs of the time.

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Sources:

• Powerhouse Museum "Collection of Photographs of Hotels designed by Sidney Warden"
• Historical photographs from the Noel Butlin Archives Centre at the ANU

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