History of the Tavern....
In 1874, the land on which the present Sawyers Valley Tavern is built was owned by ex-convict Lot Leather. Leather began pit sawing at Sawyers Valley soon after he arrived on the convict ship "Clyde" in 1863. In the mid 1880's, next to his homestead on the York Road (Great Eastern Highway), he built a store to serve the Eastern Railway construction workforce and the local sawyers. A few years later, he replaced the store with a hotel. Even when the railway was finished, the Sawyers Valley Hotel attracted locals from nearby sawmills. In the mid 1890's, EG Lacey's Enterprise Sawmill employed up to 70 men and 30 found work in the Gem and Federation sawmills. The recreation ground on the west side of the hotel was the venue for sports meetings promoted by subsequent publicans, including JH Kendall who was licensee for 21 years. The core of the present tavern was built in the 1930's, when the Kelly's held the license. It is believed to have been designed by WG (Bill) Bennett, in the "Art Deco" style. Although in recent years the building has been modified, it remains the only Art Deco hotel and one of the few prominent buildings from that period in the Shire of Mundaring. It has been listed by the Art Deco Society.
Thank you to Barry Rhodes for the great photo! Information courtesy of State Heritage Council
コメント