George Street
Cnr George and Brisbane St

George St, west side. The Royal is the big grey building.
1830-38 William Milne, Union, George Street
1839-43 Nicholas Clarke, Union, George & Brisbane Streets
1844-46 James Purselow, Union Inn, Brisbane & George Streets
1847-61 William Spearman, Union Inn, George Street
1862 James Boag, Union Inn, George Street
1863-65 Elijah Hedditch, Union Inn, George Street
1866-68 James Jordan, Union Hotel, George Street
1869-72 Frederick Jones, Union Inn, George Street
1873 James Ray, Union Inn/Royal Exchange, George Street
1874-80 James Ray, Royal Exchange, George Street
1881 Mary Jane Ray, Royal Exchange Hotel, George Street
1883 John McCaveston, Royal Exchange Hotel, George Street
1883 Mary Jane M’Caveston (formerly Ray), Ray’s Royal Exchange Hotel, George Street
1884 Mary Ann M’Caveston, Royal Exchange Hotel, George Street
1885 Thomas Crawford, Ray’s Royal Exchange Hotel, George Street
1886-88 John Edwards, Royal (Exchange) Hotel, George Street
1889-94 John Allan, (Royal) Exchange Hotel, George Street
1895-97 John Polley, (Royal) Exchange Hotel, George Street
1898+ Michael James Corcoran, Exchange Hotel, George Street, also known as the Royal Hotel.
The location of this one is a bit confusing. It became the Royal Exchange Hotel and then the Royal, which is between Paterson and Brisbane Sts (see photo below). According to the city council’s assessment rolls, between 1854 and 1874 the property which was licensed at the Union was owned by John Fawns and was in George Street, near Brisbane Street. Possibly this is the same location as the present building . (The early assessment rolls don’t have street numbers just street names, so it can be difficult to tell if a particular property is on a corner or the next propery down. Coming from Brisbane St, the property nearest George St was a stone yard, also owned by John Fawns. This might have been on the corner with George St and the public house was the next building down in George, about where it is now.)
However, I am not sure that could be described as George & Brisbane Streets as it in the licensing lists. For some reason I thought it was on the NE corner in 1840, but I can’t remember why. In the 1830s, the NE corner was apparently occupied by the Rose & Thistle,/Horse & Groom/Verandah Wine Vaults, so the Union can’t have been there then. must have been elsewhere along George Street at this time. In 1829 there was a Union Public House on the corner of Paterson and George Streets. This might not have anything to do with this Union. Also, the hotel on the corner of George and York Street was known as the the Union Club Hotel in the mid-20th Century, but I haven’t come across this name being used for this Union.

Read more