The Shipwright's Arms is an historic de-licensed

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

located in

Balmain East Balmain East is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balmain East is located three kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Inner West Council. ...

, a suburb in the

inner west The Inner West of Sydney is an area directly west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs that make up the Inner West are predominantly located along the southern shore of Port Jackson (Parramatta River) ...

region of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, in the state of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. The former pub looks out across

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...

to the

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...

and currently houses luxury

apartment An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...

History

As one of the first licensed establishments in Balmain, it was built by shipwright John Bell in 1841. In 1844 it was named the Dolphin Hotel when it was leased to publican William Walker, a former convict who had been transported from

Birmingham, England Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands region, in England. It is the largest local authority district in England by population and the second-largest cit ...

at the age of 16 on 24 May 1827. It was claimed back in 1846 by John Bell and renamed The Shipwright's Arms. It was owned by Bell and his successors as owner of the adjacent Fenwick & Co Boat Store until sold to Miller's Brewery in 1950. Although numbered as 10 Darling Street, it is effectively the first building in Balmain's main thoroughfare, and one of only a few waterside establishments. A former favourite haunt of watermen and surreptitious after-hours drinkers, its license was transferred to Miller's Hotel in

Manly Vale Manly Vale is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council, in the Northern Beaches region ...

in 1965.

References

1844 establishments in Australia 1965 disestablishments in Australia Defunct hotels in Sydney Hotel buildings completed in 1844 Hotels established in 1844 Balmain East, New South Wales Former pubs in Australia {{pub-stub