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 A
little bit of history...
The Briars Inn on the Moss Vale Road was originally built in 1845 as "The Royal Oak
Hotel".
At first glance the building appears to have the typical Georgian symmetry. However, on closer
inspection you will notice that the doorway has been off set to the left. This architectural
curiosity was common in Georgian buildings erected as hostelries (similar examples can be seen at
Berrima & Sutton Forest). The off set was to allow for a long taproom on one side of the
entrance. Such buildings also commonly had large stone-lined cellars underneath for storage and
numerous chimneys for the many fireplaces within.
"The Royal Oak" was not the first Inn at what was then Bong Bong - the first settlement
in the Highlands (down the road and to the left where it now crosses the Wingecarribee River).
The first Hotel was "The Argyle Inn", famous in its day. "The Argyle Inn" was
built c.1827 by William Bowman (also known as "Bowman's Inn") and was several hundred
metres to the west of the current building, on the then Line Road.
"Bowman's Inn" closed after Berrima was established (c.1831) and when the post office
was transferred there in c.1837, most traffic to the south then passed along the New Line road
which ran from Mittagong, Berrima to Sutton Forest.
Although the village of Bong Bong faded away, there was still a substantial settlement around
Throsby Park (property of the original settler), and lesser traffic on the Old South Road.
"The Royal Oak" provided a social focus for the area (Moss Vale did not exist), and was
still a stopping place for the Cobb & Co coaches heading south.
Briars Inn was later acquired by one of the scions of the large Throsby family, and spent many
years as a country house, remaining in the Throsby family until 1943.
It was not untypical for the local gentry to lease their houses out from time to time, which might
explain why the Licensee of the first Hotel Moss Vale (c.1866) had previously held a licence for
"The Royal Oak" at Bong Bong.
At other times in its history, Briars Inn was a boy's school (private schools were quite common in
the Moss Vale area in the late nineteenth century), and was for many years (1950's & 60's)
owned by S.C.E.G.G.S as an annex to the main girl's school to the south-west on the other side of
the Wingecarribee River. With the demise of S.C.E.G.G.S, the building languished for many years,
reverting to its original use when a licence to operate as an historic Inn was granted in 1980.
In the late 1980's a new luxury accommodation building (31 suites), Conservatory, gardens, a lake
and recreational facilities was erected behind the Briars Inn.
Since then, the Briars Country Lodge & Inn have become famous as both a unique and popular
hotel and preferred holiday and accommodation destination for many thousands of people. |
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