Royal Hotel (Wentworth Plaza/Raine Square/Royal Hotel, Complex)

There has been a Royal Hotel on this site since 1882. The first Royal Hotel was designed by Irish patriot and former convict, Joseph Noonan (or Nunan). It was substantially changed in 1894 and 1906 but remains one of the longest continually operating hotels in Perth.

The first notice of the new hotel was in April 1882 when it was noted that a “first-class family hotel” would be opened on William Street, close to the railway station. The architect was noted as being Joseph Noonan, a former member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, better known as the Fenian Brotherhood. He was one of sixty-two Fenians transported to Western Australia in the Hougoumont. After being pardoned in 1869, he chose to remain in Western Australia and took up a career as builder and architect.

The Royal Hotel opened on 30 September 1882 and was described as a “first-class family hotel” offering all the advantages of a “well-conducted English hotel”. The landlord was James Charles Foster, and a photograph from the 1880s shows a two-storey brick building facing Wellington Street with a two-storey verandah over the footpath, with arched entrances.

As a result of the gold boom, the Royal Hotel was substantially extended along William Street in 1894 to a design by Henry Stirling Trigg. The new façade was in the French Renaissance style, and the interior was now one of the most luxurious in Perth. A description of the new hotel gives an idea of how impressive it was:

The ground floor contains a splendid saloon with a very handsome bar. A counter of elaborate design and the mirrored shelving, together with the enriched ceiling and cathedral glass in the front windows, produce a fine effect. A black-and-white marbled tiled vestibule gives access to a dining room of fair size, well lighted; and a staircase leads to the first floor, which is made private by screen doors leading to the front entrance.

Yet more additions and alteration were carried out in 1906 to the design of architectural firm Hobbs Smith and Forbes Architects, which was described as practically rebuilding the hotel. However, what seems more likely is that Trigg’s William Street façade was extended along Wellington Street to create a more unified look to the Royal Hotel.

In 1925, the hotel was sold to The Swan Brewery, and in the early 1960s it was transferred to the University of Western Australia. The University also acquired all properties bounded by Wellington, Murray and Queen streets, including two other hotels, the Wentworth (1926) and the former Bohemia (1879). This resulted in Royal Hotel becoming part of group of properties making up the endowment of the University’s Raine Medical Research Foundation, with the income from the hotels going towards medical research.

In the 21st century Raine Square was redeveloped with the addition of a 22-storey commercial tower and shopping centre, making it a space for commuters and nearby workers to enjoy a meal or shop in the CBD. The Royal Hotel continues to be a landmark on the corner of William and Murray Streets after more than a century.

Inquirer 5 April 1882

Daily News 4 September 1882

Daily News 6 October 1882

Inquirer 26 October 1894