Back to search results

DUKE OF WELLINGTON HOTEL
142-148 FLINDERS STREET MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE CITY

All information on this page is maintained by Heritage Victoria. Click below for their website and contact details.
Victorian Heritage Register
DUKE OF WELLINGTON HOTEL SOHE 2008
DUKE OF WELLINGTON HOTEL SOHE 2008
DUKE OF WELLINGTON HOTEL SOHE 2008
h01175 1 duke of wellington corner elevation 0104 mz
h01175 duke of wellington russell st elevation 0104 mz
h01175 duke of wellington 1850 building 0104 mz
h01175 duke of wellington 1857 addition 0104 mz
h01175 duke of wellington 1904 addition 0104 mz
h01175 duke of wellington 1857 interior 0104 mz
h01175 duke of wellington plan 0704 mz ammended
On this page:

Statement of Significance

What is significant?

The Duke of Wellington Hotel on the corner of Russell and Flinders Streets, Melbourne is the product of the amalgamation of two buildings, a number of additions and numerous alterations. At its core is the initial two storey rendered stone corner building, built in 1850. This original building was added to in 1857 and again in 1904. The 1850 building had an articulated facade treatment of pilasters with rusticated banding and stepped recesses around the openings but this was all removed or rendered over in 1969. Despite these alterations the facade above the window sills at the first floor level, including the window openings appears unaltered.

While the building has undergone considerable change during its history and its external surface treatment and interior is far from being representative of a mid nineteenth century building, its scale and form is representative of its time and purpose. Corners were in great demand for hotel sites as they could address two street frontages. The Duke of Wellington is typical of the form employed for corner sites and this evident in the splayed corner which originally was the entrance.

The building was designed by architect Richard Dalton for carpenter - business man Timothy Lane. The hotel industry thrived in pre gold rush Melbourne and hotels were bought and sold for large amounts of money. Lane unsuccessfully applied for a licence for the hotel in 1850 and again in 1851. The place was then run as a boarding house by a Mrs Smith until 1853 when Richard Dalton, (presumably the same Richard Dalton who was the building's architect) gained a licence for the place.

The history of the building is unremarkable although William Kelly does mention sleeping there overnight in 1853 in his account of Victoria in the 1850s. The hotel has the honour of holding the longest running hotel licence in Melbourne. The Duke of Wellington appears to have been a working men's pub, presumably for warehousemen working in the Flinders Street warehouses and later for journalists from the Herald and Weekly Times .

The hotel operations also occupied part and finally all of the neighbouring building. Built in 1884 as a pair of three storeyed rendered brick warehouses, it was not to become part of the hotel until the early twentieth century when the upper floors became accommodation for the hotel. The ground floor housed two shops and they remained as such until 1960 when the rest of the building was finally incorporated into the hotel.

The 1904 and 1884 buildings are not considered to be of State-level significance, in contrast to the 1850 and 1857 buildings where the age of the fabric and the form, scale and siting of these buildings provide a relatively rare and representative example of an important pre and post-gold rush building type in Victoria.

How is it significant?

The Duke of Wellington Hotel is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria

Why is it significant?

The Duke of Wellington is of historical significance as a rare example of a pre gold rush hotel in Melbourne and for retaining its pre-1851 built fabric.

The building is also of architectural significance as being representative of an early hotel in form scale and siting.

Show more
Show less

    • History

      DUKE OF WELLINGTON HOTEL - History

      The building was designed by architect Richard Dalton for carpenter - business man Timothy Lane. The hotel industry thrived in pre gold rush Melbourne and they were bought and sold for large amounts of money. It appears that Lane was involved in the development and management of a number of hotels in Melbourne during the 1840s. However he lost his licence for Builders Arms in Queen Street in 1850 and this is possibly the reason why he was refused a licence for the DoW in 1850 and again in 1851. So the place was run as a boarding house by a Mrs Smith until 1853 when Richard Dalton, presumably the same Richard Dalton who was the buildings architect, gained a licence for the place.( Fooks, Michael; Report on Duke of Wellington Hotel, 142-148 Flinders Street, Melbourne for Carlton United Breweries ltd; June 1980; p5)

      Plaque Citation

      DUKE OF WELLINGTON HOTEL - Plaque Citation

      This rare example of a pre-gold rush Melbourne hotel was built in 1850 and demonstrates the small scale and corner location typical of such buildings. It was used as a boarding house until a license was granted in 1853.

      Permit Exemptions

      DUKE OF WELLINGTON HOTEL - Permit Exemptions

      General Exemptions:

      General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.

      Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.

      Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.

      Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions.

      Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.

      Specific Exemptions:

      General Conditions: 1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object. General Conditions: 2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of works that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such works shall cease and the Executive Director shall be notified as soon as possible. Note: All archaeological places have the potential to contain significant sub-surface artefacts and other remains. In most cases it will be necessary to obtain approval from Heritage Victoria before the undertaking any works that have a significant sub-surface component. General Conditions: 3. If there is a conservation policy and plan approved by the Executive Director, all works shall be in accordance with it. Note: The existence of a Conservation Management Plan or a Heritage Action Plan endorsed by the Ececutive Director provides guidance for the management of the heritage values associated with the site. It may not be necessary to obtain a heritage permit for certain works specified in the management plan. General Conditions: 4. Nothing in this declaration prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions. General Conditions: 5. Nothing in this declaration exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authorities where applicable. Regular Site Maintenance : The following site maintenance works are permit exempt under section 66 of the Heritage Act 1995, a) regular site maintenance provided the works do not involve the removal or destruction of any significant above-ground features or sub-surface archaeological artefacts or deposits; b) the maintenance of an item to retain its conditions or operation without the removal of or damage to the existing fabric or the introduction of new materials; c) cleaning including the removal of surface deposits, organic growths, or graffiti by the use of low pressure water and natural detergents and mild brushing and scrubbing; d) repairs, conservation and maintenance to plaques, memorials, roads and paths, fences and gates and drainage and irrigation. e) the replacement of existing services such as cabling, plumbing, wiring and fire services that uses existing routes, conduits or voids, and does not involve damage to or the removal of significant fabric. Note: Surface patina which has developed on the fabric may be an important part of the item’s significance and if so needs to be preserved during maintenance and cleaning. Note: Any new materials used for repair must not exacerbate the decay of existing fabric due to chemical incompatibility, obscure existing fabric or limit access to existing fabric for future maintenance. Repair must maximise protection and retention of fabric and include the conservation of existing details or elements. Vermin Control : The followingvermin control activities are permit exempt under section 66 of the Heritage Act 1995, a) Vermin control activities provided the works do not involve the removal or destruction of any significant above-ground features or sub-surface archaeological artefacts or deposits; Note: Particular care must be taken with vermin control works where such activities may have a detrimental affect on the significant fabric of a place. Public Safety and Security : The following public safety and security activities are permit exempt under section 66 of the Heritage Act 1995, a) public safety and security activities provided the works do not involve the removal or destruction of any significant above-ground structures or sub-surface archaeological artefacts or deposits; b) the erection of temporary security fencing, scaffolding, hoardings or surveillance systems to prevent unauthorised access or secure public safety which will not adversely affect significant fabric of the place including archaeological features; c) development including emergency stabilisation necessary to secure safety where a site feature has been irreparably damaged or destabilised and represents a safety risk to its users or the public. Note: Urgent or emergency site works are to be undertaken by an appropriately qualified specialist such as a structural engineer, or other heritage professional. Signage and Site Interpretation : The following Signage and Site Interpretation activities are permit exempt under section 66 of the Heritage Act 1995, a) signage and site interpretation activities provided the works do not involve the removal or destruction of any significant above-ground structures or sub-surface archaeological artefacts or deposits; b) the erection of non-illuminated signage for the purpose of ensuring public safety or to assist in the interpretation of the heritage significance of the place or object and which will not adversely affect significant fabric including landscape or archaeological features of the place or obstruct significant views of and from heritage values or items; c) signage and site interpretation products must be located and be of a suitable size so as not to obscure or damage significant fabric of the place; d) signage and site interpretation products must be able to be later removed without causing damage to the significant fabric of the place; Note: The development of signage and site interpretation products must be consistent in the use of format, text, logos, themes and other display materials. Note: Where possible, the signage and interpretation material should be consistent with other schemes developed on similar or associated sites. It may be necessary to consult with land managers and other stakeholders concerning existing schemes and strategies for signage and site interpretation. Minor Works : Note: Any Minor Works that in the opinion of the Executive Director will not adversely affect the heritage significance of the place may be exempt from the permit requirements of the Heritage Act. A person proposing to undertake minor works may submit a proposal to the Executive Director. If the Executive Director is satisfied that the proposed works will not adversely affect the heritage values of the site, the applicant may be exempted from the requirement to obtain a heritage permit. If an applicant is uncertain whether a heritage permit is required, it is recommended that the permits co-ordinator be contacted.

      Internal works

      All internal works are permit exempt provided they do not alter the exterior of the registered building.

      Permit Exemption Policy

      DUKE OF WELLINGTON HOTEL - Permit Exemption Policy

      The significance of the Duke of Wellington Hotel lies in the age of the fabric and overall form of the pre 1851 corner building. Any works that will have an impact on the reading and understanding of these aspects of the place should be avoided. The 1857 addition to the original corner building contributes to the composition of the main body of the original hotel and shares enough similar scaling and detailing to be viewed as part of a cohesive unit. Any proposed works that will have any impact on the structure or external fabric of the original 1850 building and its 1857 addition will require a permit.

      The interiors of the place have been considerably altered and are no longer representative of a nineteenth century building.

  • Notes See all notes

    Only 1850 section now remains

    • 02/02/16

    The 1904 section was demolished with a permit, and the 1857 section demolished at the same time as it became unstable during the works in c2004.

    Equal longest running license ?

    • 02/02/16

    Mac's Hotel in Franklin Street also opened in 1853, so unless the Duke got its licence a few months ahead, it may only be equal oldest licence holder in the City of Melbourne. Sometimes the Duke is claimed to have the been the longest continuously operating pub, but Mac's doesn't seem to have closed, while the Duke was closed between c2004 and 2013.

    Images See all images

    Tours involving this place See all tours

    Historic Pubs

    03/10/16

    FORMER LEITRIM HOTEL - MACS HOTEL - DUKE OF WELLINGTON HOTEL - FORMER BLACK EAGLE HOTEL - FORMER CARLTON & UNITED BREWERY SITE - FORMER CARLTON AND UNITED BREWERY

Public contributions

Notes See all notes

Only 1850 section now remains

• 02/02/16

The 1904 section was demolished with a permit, and the 1857 section demolished at the same time as it became unstable during the works in c2004.

Equal longest running license ?

• 02/02/16

Mac's Hotel in Franklin Street also opened in 1853, so unless the Duke got its licence a few months ahead, it may only be equal oldest licence holder in the City of Melbourne. Sometimes the Duke is claimed to have the been the longest continuously operating pub, but Mac's doesn't seem to have closed, while the Duke was closed between c2004 and 2013.

Images See all images

Tours involving this place See all tours

Historic Pubs

03/10/16

FORMER LEITRIM HOTEL - MACS HOTEL - DUKE OF WELLINGTON HOTEL - FORMER BLACK EAGLE HOTEL - FORMER CARLTON & UNITED BREWERY SITE - FORMER CARLTON AND UNITED BREWERY

Note: Developments may span multiple time periods
Timeline browser

< to 1849
< - 1849
1850 to 1879
1850 - 1879
1880 to 1909
1880 - 1909
1910 to 1939
1910 - 1939
1940 to 1969
1940 - 1969
1970 to 1999
1970 - 1999
2000 to >
2000 - >