MITRE TAVERN

5-9 BANK PLACE MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE CITY

All information on this page is maintained by Heritage Victoria. Click below for their website and contact details.

Victorian Heritage Inventory

Statement of Significance

• Other Records For This Place
  • MITRE TAVERN - Victorian Heritage Register
• Additional Place Information

  • History

    MITRE TAVERN - History

    Heritage Inventory History of Site: Date of first documented occupation, 1837?

    Heritage Inventory Description

    MITRE TAVERN - Heritage Inventory Description

    First land sale 1837, Allotment 5, Block 14, C J Ebden. Building on site by 1839.1855 & 1866 - building on site. 1868-74 'Mitre Tavern' constructed.1877 - Mitre Tavern 3 & 2 storey & outbuildings. 1888 - Mitre Tavern, rear extended.1905 - Mitre Hotel

    Heritage Inventory Significance: HISTORIC BUILDINGS COUNCIL - STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE A LICENSED PREMISES FROM 1968, IT IS REPUTED THAT THE EARLIEST SECTIONS OF THE BUILDING DATE FROM A EARLY AS 1837. IN THAT YEAR CROWN ALLOTMENT 6, SECTION 14, TOWN OF MELBOURNE WAS PURCHASED AT THE NOVEMBER LAND SALES, HELD IN SYDNEY, BY CHARLES EBDEN (1811-67) THE NOTED PASTORALIST, BUSINESSMAN AND POLITICIAN. EBDEN PURCHASED C/A 5, 6, 7; S14 FOR 136 POUNDS AND SOLD THEM IN 1839 FOR IN EXCESS OF 10,000 POUNDS. LOCATED ON A MUCH REDUCED SITE MEASURING 27.1M ALONG MITRE LAND AND 13.9M ALONG BANK PLACE (SITE AREA 321M2), THE MITRE TAVERN AS IT STANDS TODAY IS THE RESULT OF A NUMBER OF BUILDING PROGRAMS INVOLVING BOTH PART DEMOLITION AND EXPANSION. ON MARCH 25, 1868, MR HENRY THOMPSON, IN MAKING APPLICATION FOR A LICENCE FOR THE MITRE TAVERN, DESCRIBED IT AS "... A HOUSE WHICH HAS EIGHT SITTING ROOMS", THIS HE PUBLICALLY AMENDED ON THE NEXT DAY TO "... THREE SITTING ROOMS AND TWO BEDROOMS". BY 1874 THE RATE BOOKS DESCRIBE THE BUILDING AS BEING OF 14 ROOMS AND IN 1879 AS 18 ROOMS. TIMBER OUTBUILDINGS WHICH SERVED AS BEDROOMS HAVE BEEN DEMOLISHED. THE BUILDING IS IN PART BRICK, STONE RUBBLE AND MUD CONSTRUCTION. THE VARIOUS BUILDING CAMPAIGNS HAVE RESULTED IN THE BUILDING BEING REFACED INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY REROOFED, AS WELL AS ALTERATIONS TO WINDOWS AND DOORS. IN 1971 A REDUCTION IN THE ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE THEN EXTENT BUILDING OCCURRED WHEN IT WAS RENOVATED TO EMULATE A TRADITIONAL ENGLISH PUB, WITHIN THE CONSTRAINTS OF THE RELEVANT BUILDING AND LICENSING REGULATIONS. INTERNALLY SMALL ROOMS AND NARROW CORRIDORS WERE REMOVED BY A PROCESS OF ROOM ENLARGEMENT. ONLY TWO EARLY ARCHED DOORWAYS REMAIN. DESPITE A LARGE HISTORY OF ALTERATION, THE DOMESTIC SCALE AND PICTURESQUE ARCHITECTURE OF THE MITRE TAVERN, ITS LONG AND CONTINUOUS REPUTATION AS A HOTEL AND MEETING PLACE WITHIN THE COMMERCIAL CENTRE OF MELBOURNE AND THE POSSIBILITY THAT PARTS OF THE STRUCTURE DATE FROM THE VERY EARLIEST PERIOD OFPERMANENT SETTLEMENT RENDER IT A BUILDING OF HISTORIC IMPORTANCE WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ACT.

    Archeological Potential: Extant bldg Fabric,Remnant Structure,Site

• Location map
• Explore related places
  • Show:
    -- select -- Nearby Places

  • 
    FORMER ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ARMY MEDICAL CORPS TRAINING DEPOT

    

    Victorian Heritage Register H0717
  • 
    MITRE TAVERN

    

    Victorian Heritage Register H0464
  • 
    MELBOURNE SAVAGE CLUB

    

    Victorian Heritage Register H0025
• Public contributions