Sussex Hotel

Story

The Sussex Hotel was established by James Thomson as the Sussex Arms Inn in 1843 on Part Acre 22. This first building was erected on an allotment of land further east along Walkerville Terrace than the present site. Thomson was the proprietor from 1843 until 1849, and again in 1852. Part of the first hotel building is incorporated in the Walkerville Senior Citizens clubrooms. The first Walkerville Council meeting was held at the Sussex Hotel in 1855.

The licence was relocated to the present site in December 1905, when John Nottage was the proprietor. From 1889 until 1950 the premises were known as the Sussex Arms Hotel, after which time it was called the Hotel Sussex. The longest serving proprietor was Mary Ann Maiden, who was the licensee from 1937 until 1951.
The current appearance of the Sussex Hotel dates from the 1930s when a number of South Australian hotels were upgraded. The original building appearance was dramatically changed removing all earlier detailing and replacing the façade with art deco elements. The post supported verandah was removed and a suspended awning erected.

Other hotels similarly altered in this period include the Arab Steed on Hutt Street and the Prince of Wales Hotel on Port Road. An early photo of the interior shows that this art deco detailing was incorporated into the appearance of the bar. Recent refurbishment has respected the streamlined design idiom of the hotel and retained the suspended awning.