The Royal Oak Inn
Paterson
The building that would later become the Royal Oak Inn was erected as a residence by Dr. Isaac Scott Nind in King-street Paterson. There were five rooms upstairs including two with garretts and four below. Servants quarters were detached from the main building by about 20 feet and were two-storey, having two rooms above and one below. In front of the main building was a low verandah roof about five feet wide. In his free time, Dr. Nind was a passionate wine collector. The design of his house included a spacious cellar specifically created to store his collection. This cellar was carefully excavated and lined with sandstone blocks, transforming it into an impressive storage space for his wine, much of which had been sourced from overseas. Isaac Nind left Paterson around 1856
Dr. Nind's residence was sold to William Morris Reade who opened it as a wine and spirit store. William Reade returned to Ireland in 1858.
In 1859 the Paterson Academy was established in the building by school master George Lindley.
Edmund Long who held the license for the Plough Inn situated at Cintra near Paterson from June 1853 until at least 1860 applied for a publicans' license for the Royal Oak Inn in 1858, however this was refused by Bench after a lengthy discussion about his suitability for the license. Edmund Long died in March 1864.
The license was held by the Long family in the 1860s - Ellen, John and Joseph Long and Daniel Long. Daniel Long held the license in 1863. Ellen Long held the license in 1867. Daniel Long took over the license again in 1868
From 1869 to 1877 the licence was held by Ellehan Puxty (immigrant by the ship Lady Nugent in 1838), after which it was transferred to Mrs. Ellen Puxty. Ellehan Puxty died at Vacy in 1883.
George Seabrooke held the license from 1877 to 1879, and Thomas Swift from 1879 until 1881. The hotel was de-licensed in 1881, and the hotel contents were sold at auction in April 1882, as Swift was leaving the district
Commercial Banking Co.,
The Commercial Banking Co of Sydney took over the old inn for a bank and it carried on business until the new bank was opened in 1902.The first manager was Manager was Mr. W. T. Busby, who was transferred in 1883 and his post taken by Mr. Bartlett and afterwards by Mr. Foster who had a beautiful garden laid out which extended from the front fence to a considerable distance behind the house
The last manager was Mr. Bradford. He employed the first bank clerk to work there, Mr. Norman McKay, but after a short time in the bank he resigned and became a minister in the Presbyterian Church. Norman McKay died in 1948
When the new bank opened in 1902 Mr. Bradford retired and Mr. A. M. Doyle came from Raymond Terrace to take charge of the new premises. He stayed here until he retired in 1930 after 28 years.
1900s
Quite a number of businesses used the premises of the old Royal Oak after the bank closed in 1902. The first was a chemist, then a barber and later a barber in front and refreshment room at the back.Mr. William John McGill, butcher, purchased the building around 1910 and the detached kitchen was converted to a butchers shop which continued to be run by the McGill family until 1970s
Sources:
[1] Image - D'Ombrain, Athel, 1901-1985, Royal Oak Inn, King Street, Paterson, NSW, Australia, 1975 (1975), [B10399-N0609]. Living Histories,[2] Wikipedia
[3] Journal of Paterson Historical Society, Museum News April 1995, Volume 2
[4] Old Inns of Paterson - Maitland Mercury 10 August 1949
[5] Certificates for Publicans Licenses, State Archives NSW
[6] Northern Times 1 May 1858
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