The new publication is a 108 page history of the Bridge View Inn that includes chapters about:
- the historical context of early Rylstone in the 1850s, 60s and 70s.
- the hotel’s physical characteristics as a country hotel built with a high level of craftsmanship; the building’s significance and recognition as an item of State heritage
- the Hall families, responsible for the Bridge View Inn and the two colonial cottages on the corner of Louee and Dabee Streets
- the seven publicans who held the licence at the hotel between 1871, when it opened, to 1895 when it was repurposed to become a bank
- the bank era when the bar and associated room became the banking chamber and the rest of the building was used as a staff residence
- the short period in private hands during the late 1950s and 60s, and then the period of use by Rylstone and District Historical Society and the various tenants who have leased space in the building
- conservation efforts to maintain and develop the building since the 1960s
- the rare 19th century mural in the dining room, its conservation and the artist thought to be responsible
- the building in the 1940s and 50s when Helen Norris was a child living there, including Rylstone social history
- the building in the late 1990s and early 2000s when Per and Helen Kristensen worked to conserve deteriorating fabric and operated a restaurant
- sources for the interested reader to follow up on the material in the book
The book is well illustrated with photographs and plans.
The book price is $25.00. It is available from Rylstone and District Historical Society Cottage Museum (open Sundays from 10 to 3 pm), from the Rylstone Newsagency, or from the ‘We’ve Got It Made’ shop in the Bridge View Inn during business hours.
If you would like to have a copy sent to you through the mail, email the Society on rylstonehistory@westnet.com.au.
Add $10 for postage and handling. Pay first via electronic funds transfer (total $35.00) as follows:
Bank: Reliance Bank
Account Name: Rylstone and District Historical Society
BSB: 882 000
Acct No: 300028331
Reference: YOUR SURNAME + ‘BVI BOOK’
In your email include the bank’s receipt number and be sure to provide your full name and the mailing address. Once the payment has been processed the Society will mail you your copy.
Heritage Interpretation Project proudly funded by the NSW Government
