Hotel Fremantle, Corner High and Cliff Streets, Notre Dame University ND 42- Arts, Sciences and Business
Originally Lot 18 (corner Cliff and High sts) was owned by William Lamb (1829 - 1837), transferred to R M (Broun?) Brown (1855 - 1878), and transferred to William Dalgety Moore (1879-) A residence at the rear was built for Moore in 1885.
Hotel Fremantle was designed by Wilkinson and Smith and built in 1897/98 for Bacon Forrest Co. It opened on 1 October 1898. (reference)
1899 Conference with lumpers union representatives. A meeting of merchants of Fremantle and Perth was held at the Hotel Fremantle, Cliff-street, to confer with representatives from the union as to the best means of releasing perishable goods from the vessels owned by companies affected by the strike. (reference)
1906 Hotel Fremantle- Most Conveniently Situated Hostelry in Fremantle to Railway Station and all Wharves… Mrs. E. C. Griffin, late of the Hotel Australia, having taken over the above splendidly appointed Hotel, has had the interior of the whole premises thoroughly renovated and redecorated, together with extensive replenishing arrangements. The bedrooms are commodious, lofty, and thoroughly ventilated. Excellent Cuisine. Tariff Moderate. (reference)
Hotel Fremantle also held an office/storage at 8 Cliff St from 1920-1938
2006 Shane Burke conducted two archaeological excavations during 2006 at the Fremantle Hotel site… The first excavation, done near the front bar… determined that the limestone foundation found after floorboard removal was the remains of the wall of the house that originally faced Cliff Street occupied by the lot’s previous owner William Dalgety Moore. Further research suggests that the wall’s construction occurred in 1885 when Moore extended his residence. The foundations remained preserved despite the demolition of a section of Moore’s house in 1898 and the subsequent erection of the Hotel Fremantle facade along the Cliff and High Street the same year. The excavation unearthed a surface layer containing objects associated with hotel use like corks, lead bottle seals, newspapers and beer and wine bottle glass. Under this surface layer, the soil darkened considerably, with very dark grey sand occurring. The dark grey sand contained a few artefacts like fragmented ceramics, black bottle glass and an 1887 English penny.
Burke, Shane 2007, 'Fremantle's hidden history', Fremantle Studies, 5: 63-73. (reference)
OccupantS
Lot owners 17 & 18: 1829 - 1837 (17)Leake, George (18)Lamb, William, 1855 - 1878 Brown, R M B, 1879 Moore, W D
1855 William Dalgety Moore.
1899 Proprietor Alfred Court (reference)
1901 - 1903 Proprietor H Chesterfield
1904 - 1906 Proprietor M J Murphy
1906 - 1920 Proprietor Mrs Elizabeth C. Griffen ( read full story in Notable People section).
1921 - 1924 Proprietor Alexander Cooper
1925 - 1930 Proprietor A D Lindberg, also working there: Mrs E Kenny (1927), Charles Doherty (1928-1929)
1931 - 1949 Proprietor George E Smith, Also working there: Mrs Alice M Payne (1930-1932), Roy Manuel (1935-1936), Thomas Lewis (1936-1939)
1946 Frank J Murphy (accountant)
During WW2 the hotel was set up as a hospital and operating theatre.
1987 Used as headquarters for the New Zealand Team, Americas Cup Defence
Now used by Notre Dame University ND 42- Arts, Sciences and Business
