The Northo ’ s 1930s facelift
by Greg Martin
North Richmond Hotel is going back to the future , and you won ’ t need to sit beside Marty McFly in his DeLorean time travel automobile to make the journey .
Mine host at the Northo , Richard Petherick , is in the process of restoring the front of the hotel back to what it was when built in 1930 .
“ I was 14-years-old in 1970 and was part of the work crew which enclosed the lovely balcony and verandah fronting Bells Line of Line ,” Richard said .
“ I got the idea of restoring the area to its former glory after those heavy downpours in February .
“ Water leaked into the balcony and was causing a bit of damage and I thought ‘ stuff this , I ’ m going to restore it to its original state ’.”
And it is a task Richard has tackled with passion and vigor with the help of his family , all of whom are involved in the hotel – wife , Kim and children Jake , Jesse and Montana .
Don ’ t for one moment believe the restoration is just a matter of knocking away the brick wall and “ voila ” you ’ re transported back in time to the 1930s .
Richard had to source 1000 replica bricks to match the original brickwork – the ground floor bricks were removed during the 1970 renovation .
The North Richmond Hotel pictured in the late 1950s . And yes , that is a cow mooving towards the pub ! The Petherick family is restoring their hotel to its former glory .
But for Richard , that was the easy part of the back-to-the-future restoration !
He then had to source replica fence posts for the balcony , cornices , tiles and heritage lighting and other fixtures .
“ Dave at Windsor Restorations was a Godsend , and he was able to supply us with everything we required ,” Richard said .
A ‘ must-do ’ in the restoration was the sourcing of five of those colourful posters spruiking the delight in drinking thirst-quenching beer such as Resch ’ s DA , Tooths KB Lager and
Carlton Ale . The five framed posters will adorn the verandah wall . Access to an extended Pitt Lane Bistro will be through three doors on the verandah – two double French doors and a single door .
Richard says he will also be replacing the current roof with a galvanized corrugated iron roof and will remove the paint which covers the original brickwork on the Pitt Lane side of the building .
So , top up your car with plutonium and head back to the future at the North Richmond Hotel .
At your service
for 189 years
by Greg Martin
Prominent local landowner , John Town , built the single storey Woolpack Inn in 1833 – he owned 20 acres and situated the watering hole where the current lower side of the North Richmond Hotel car park is located .
The Woolpack Inn had a bar , 12 rooms , kitchen , a storeroom in the attic , outbuildings , stockyards and a vegetable and fruit tree garden .
In 1874 , the Woolpack Inn , which had been closed for a year , re-opened with a new licensee , Jane Cribb , and a new name – Travellers Rest .
The hotel had another name change in the early years of the 20th Century , publican , W . H . Pacey , anointing it as the Riverview Hotel .
In early March 1930 , the licensee , William Hansford , built a new a two-storey building on the present site , transferring the liquor licence and initially transferring the Riverview name to the new hotel .
However , it was a short-lived naming because on March 24 , 1930 , Hansford finally put the Riverview name out to pasture and renamed the pub the North Richmond Hotel .
The old hotel was leased as a boarding house but was eventually demolished in the late 1960s .
Major alterations to the hotel were completed in April 1970 , changing the hotel façade entirely – covering the much-loved balcony and verandah .
Much to the horror of locals who had already seen the demolition or architectural desecration of historic hotels throughout the Hawkesbury !
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THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 144 // MAY 2022 11