Published on Monday, 17 February 2025 at 4:54:22 PM
Welcome to #TimeWarpTuesday! This week we bring to you the next part of our mini-series on heritage places from the Town’s Municipal Heritage Inventory published in June 2000.
Heritage Places - Part Six
Carlisle Hotel
Address: 168 Rutland Avenue, Carlisle.
PH00246-01 Carlisle Hotel, circa 1997.
Photographed by Heritage Today circa 1996-2000 for the Town of Victoria Park Municipal Heritage Inventory, published June 2000.
Local History Collection, Town of Victoria Park Library Service.
“Historical Notes
“The Carlisle Hotel was opened in 1940. It included not only the public bar but also a hotel lounge which was part of a new trend to attract women into hotels. Women were not accepted into public bars so the introduction of lounges was an evolutionary step for the hotel industry. Carlisle’s lounge on its opening in 1940 was described as having a:
‘colour scheme which has been carefully carried out until all appointments for the large room match and contribute to the final effect of restful comfort. The furniture, upholstered in dark red leather is unobtrusively modern. There is a plethora of glass topped tables and the walls are of apricot and cream texture. Draped curtains play their part to the full, and scrupulous attention has been paid to the blending doors, architraves and apple green finished skirtings.’ (p. 144 Time Gentleman).
“In 1942 the licensee of the Carlisle Hotel was a man by the name of [Lionel Wilfred] Flohm. When he volunteered for war service, Mrs Dot Flohm took over the business. She ran the Carlisle Hotel for 34 years. She described the hotel in 1941 as being surrounded by bush with only a basic plank road to Welshpool Road (until the Munitions factory was built in Welshpool). Guests in the hotel included women and children who had been evacuated from Singapore owing to the Japanese occupation. War time rationing hampered business, as alcohol was issued on a quota basis and staffing was difficult. Mrs D Flohm retired from the Carlisle Hotel in 1974. Since then there have only been three subsequent owners, the first being Norm Parnum (a former City of Perth Councillor), and then Mal Atwell, (who coached Perth Football Club), who owned the hotel in its heyday during the 1960s. Today [2000] it is managed by two Directors.
Lionel Wilfred FLOHM (427760, W21528), Enlistment photograph, National Archives of Australia
Mr Lionel Wilfred FLOHM, proprieter of the Carlisle Hotel from 1943 until his enlistment for service in World War II. At which time Lionel’s wife Dot Flohm took over as publican and ran the hotel for 34 years.
Lionel served in the Royal Australian Air Force and achieved the rank of Flight Sergeant before he was tragically killed in a Flying Battle over Germany on 21 November 1944. He was aged 31 years. He left behind his wife and a son. Lest We Forget.
“Description
“This is a two storey hotel from the 1940s period which was influenced by Inter-war styles. Quite simple in design, it has a mixture of Arts and Craft and Art Deco influences.
“Originally a red brick building with a terracotta Marseille tiled roof, all its brickwork, except the chimneys, has been painted cream. The windows are of double-hung timber. The massing of the masonry stairwell block against the upper storey masonry balcony is a unifying element in the design.
“There are a number of single storey motel units for accommodation built in blonde brick to the side of the hotel. Many changes have been made over the years so that very little of the original building remains obvious. Additions include the flat roofed bottle shop, the TAB porte-cochere, the coolroom and the public/sports bar on the eastern wing.
“Statement of Significance
“The Carlisle Hotel has historic, aesthetic and social heritage significance. Though additions have compromised its original architectural style, the hotel still holds a fairly dominant place in Carlisle as it is clearly visible form rail and road, and has not been crowded by other buildings.
“For over a half a century the Carlisle Hotel has supplied a popular service to the Carlisle community and visitors. Modern transformations (in the last 20 years) such as the bottle shop, recognise the changing nature of the market as more people choose to socialise outside the parameters of the hotel. However, the hotel still provides a setting for those wishing to mix drinking with a convivial atmosphere.“ (1).
Call to Action
Do you remember fun times socialising at the Carlisle Hotel? Did you enjoy sharing a pint with your mates at this great old ‘watering hole’? Have you got photos or stories to tell? Then you might like to make a submission to the 2025 Local History Awards (https://www.victoriaparklibrary.wa.gov.au/local-history/local-history-awards). Even if you just have one old photograph of a place, event or thing in the Town’s long history, we’d love to see it. Please put your thinking cap on, get out your camera, talk to your relatives and neighbours and get documenting and researching. Your entry could win you a prize too, but you will be arguably winning the greater prize, that of knowing you have helped both present and future generations understand their community better.
#LoveVicPark
References:
- Heritage Today 2000, ‘Town of Victoria Park Local Heritage Inventory, Heritage Today, Mount Lawley.
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