Guildford Hotel to re-open
Eight years after it was gutted and all but destroyed by fire, the Guildford Hotel in Perth is re-opening this Thursday.
The original features have been retained as much as possible with the giant jarrah roof beams that survived the fire getting a high-gloss finish. They will feature in the downstairs bar.
The restoration has retained the original tiles, fireplaces, doors, windows and a sink, all highlighted with convict-made bricks.
The hotel was saved after local residents ran a strong campaign to restore it after the fire.
Guildford was one of the first colonial settlements in Perth and the hotel itself was one of the area's original pubs.
Architect Kylee Schoonens said the restoration brought out the hotel’s history.
One of the key elements is obviously the fire but it had so much more history,’’ Ms Schoonens told the ABC.
"The way that we have done that is by retaining as much of the existing fabric in the building as we possibly could.
"When we were pulling back the plasterwork we found original handmade bricks that were made by convicts.
"You can see a lot of the tool marks in the bricks themselves.
"The benefit of the fire was that it actually pulled back so many of those layers for us that we wouldn't have actually been able to see otherwise. We were careful to keep those elements still exposed.
"Where the fire came through the upper floors, there were a series of bedrooms.
"A lot of the timbers have gone but there were some amazing pieces that have been left.
"You can see untouched original timbers with floorboards across the top that are fire damaged."
The Guildford will be run by Melbourne’s The Publican Group under a 15-year lease with a 10-year option. The Publican Group already manages Perth venues The Aviary and The George.
It will employ about 60 people and has a capacity of 750 people.
by Leon Gettler, May 24th 2016
