Norfolk Hotel, Fremantle

Norfolk Hotel
Oddfellows Hotel in 1950 before the 1985 redesign
Alternative names	Oddfellows Hotel
General information
Type	Hotel
Architectural style	Victorian Georgian
Location	Corner South Terrace and Norfolk Street
Address	47, South Terrace, Fremantle
Town or city	Fremantle
Current tenants	Garry Gosatti
Opened	1887
Renovated	1929, 1985
Client	George Alfred Davies
Landlord	Prendiville Group
Technical details
Floor count	2
Renovating team
Architect	Allen and Nicholas (1929)
Website
Norfolk Hotel site

The Norfolk Hotel is located on the corner of South Terrace and Norfolk Street in Fremantle, Western Australia. The stone built hotel was originally constructed in 1887 before the 1893 Kalgoorlie gold rush for George Alfred Davies, a vintner, local councillor and Mayor of Fremantle. For most of its life it was known as the Oddfellows Hotel; it was renamed when it was substantially renovated in 1985.

The Oddfellows Hotel was constructed by 1877 for George Alfred Davies, who was a well known wine and spirit dealer. Davies had been born in Fremantle in 1846 to a family who had settled in Western Australia only five years after Captain Fremantle first claimed the area for Britain. After working for a number of years with his father, Albert, he established Grosvenor Cellars, selling alcoholic beverages and making his own wine. Davies was also active in public life, serving, in time, as a local councillor and in 1895 as the Mayor of Fremantle.

The land where the hotel stands was where Davies was renting out cottages in 1880. Davies applied and received a title deed to all the land in 1884 and in 1887 the first record is seen of the stone-built hotel. The hotel was a successful business that survived George Davies' death in 1897. The hotel was put into a trust that was operated by his widow, Letty Davies, and brothers, George Davies and Arthur Elvin Davies.

The building was internally redesigned around 1920 when the emphasis of the business changed from offering overnight accommodation to offering alcoholic drinks and hospitality. Shortly afterwards in 1922, the local brewery of Castlemaine Brewery purchased the building from the trustees. Within five years, the Oddfellows Hotel was being operated by the Swan Brewery as they "merged" with Castlemaine.

The Swan brewery operated the hotel for over fifty years and a photo from the 1950s shows the building supporting tram lines on the corner of South Terrace and Norfolk Street. The brewery sold the hotel in 1952 to the first of a long line of private owners and another picture shows the beer garden packed with revellers on Derby Day on 26 December 1953.