Australian pub in New South Wales, Australia
The White Horse Hotel is a three-storey public hotel located at 381 Crown Street in Surry Hills, Sydney, Australia. Its appearance is distinguished by a large sculpture of a silver stallion constructed of galvanised steel, created in a rearing pose and set atop its facade.[1][2]
History
The White Horse Hotel was constructed in the 1930s when Surry Hills was a working-class suburb.[2] British historian Jane Peyton writes that at that time, the hotel was a central gathering place for colourful characters.[2]
Since then, Surry Hills has become gentrified over time and with it the Hotel has improved significantly. The Hotel was refurbished in 2004, at which time a new bar and a brasserie were installed, and the silver stallion was lifted onto the roof, but initially had difficulty convincing the City of Sydney it was a work of art, rather than an advertisement.[2] According to Peyton, the sculpture, by Andy Scott, was challenging to import. It was made in Scotland, cut into pieces, shipped to Australia and then reconstructed on the roof.[2]
In 2005 the Hotel was purchased by Precision Group for $7.5 million.[3] The site was again refurbished in 2014 to update lounge areas, restaurant, function room, and a roof top terrace and garden.[1][4] Notably, designer Matt Woods commissioned local artists such as Ben Morris to decorate the walls in the downstairs section with murals around the theme "café racer-inspired" bar as part of an approach "rooted in the heritage of the site".[5][6]
