Gladesville Hotel / Betars' Building

Style

Inter-War Federation Free Style and Victorian Filigree

Year

Circa 1910 to 1920, and 1856

About the Gladesville Hotel / Betar's Building

Betars’ Building was constructed between 1910 and 1920 by Frederick and Nicholas Betar. It is a typical example of shop-top housing from the early 20th century and has interesting architectural detailing including the circular tower on the corner. In 1932, the building contained a music shop, a mercer, a cake shop, and a hairdresser.

The former Gladesville Hotel is located on the corner of Junction Street and Victoria Road and is the earliest of the extant hotels in the Hunters Hill/Ryde area. The building was constructed in stages between 1856 and the 1870s and originally had a frontage to Junction Street.

In 1889, the proprietor was J. Eyles who advertised ‘first-class accommodation to scullers’ along with the facility of a boatshed. Professional sculling on the river was very popular in that time. The hotel ceased to operate in 1918 but, surprisingly, the building is still intact although the façade is hidden behind retail shops at the base of Betars’ Buildings. Evidence of the original sandstone wall is visible internally.

The hotel building may incorporate parts of the earlier establishment, the Flagstaff Inn. Today that name seems odd but there is also a Flagstaff Street and a Flagstaff car park off Cowell Street. All derive their names from the fact that there was a Flagstaff relay station on the crest of the hill from about 1826 that was used to relay government messages between Sydney and Parramatta.

Location

177-181 Victoria Road, Gladesville 2111 View Map

Skip to below map

Skip to above map