The Bat and Ball Hotel

Did you know that the Bat and Ball Hotel, opposite Moore Park in Redfern, has just changed hands? Did you know that it was once known as the Duke of Cleveland or that it was considered the most important pub in Sydney during WW2 and as a result was allowed a lot more beer than other pubs.

G’day. Charles Touma here, and today I’m on the corner of Cleveland and South Dowling in the magnificent Redfern, to talk about another much loved local institution which has just changed hands. The Bat and Ball hotel here, opposite the Moore Park sports and entertainment precinct, has long been a drinking hole for those attending the cricket, rugby league, rugby union and AFL. It sits on 504 square metres of land. An original pub was built on the site in 1929 named “The Duke of Cleveland”, however, it was demolished and rebuilt in 1931, changing it’s name to the Bat and Ball in 1937.

Now cricket umpires need to know what time it is, to end for lunch and tea, so the Moore Park cricket grounds needed a clock. So in 1939, an application was submitted and approved to place a clock at the top of the Bat and Ball hotel, where it could be seen by the cricket umpires on Moore Park. In the 1930s, a Moreton Bay Fig Tree opposite the Bat and Ball was struck by lightning and two cricketers who were underneath were killed. In World War II, the soldiers stationed at the Sydney Barracks Showground, a short walk away, would drink the pub dry regularly, especially during the era of rationing. In fact, it was such an important pub during the war, that the landlord asked the government for an increase in their rations of beer, and it was granted twice, in 1943 and 1945.

The Kospetas family are reported to have paid $10 million for the pub, which includes 2:00 AM trading licence, 10 gaming machines, and 15 rooms of accommodation. Their Universal Hotel Group already owns the Oxford Hotel in Darlinghurst, as well as several other CBD pubs. Chinese group, Cator Investments sold the Bat and Ball to the Kospetas family, having bought it for $4.5 million in 2014. Now I’ve been selling in the Redfern and Surry Hills area for 20 years, and I’ve sold many properties within a short stroll of the Bat and Ball, including: 20 Chelsea Street, Redfern, three bedroom terrace, which sold for $2.325m; 22 Chelsea Street, three bedroom terrace, selling for $2.4m; 8 Chelsea Street, an unrenovated three bedroom terrace, selling for 2 million and fifty; and 15 Chelsea Street in Redfern, selling at auction for $2.5 million. Now I hope you found this dive into the history of Redfern, entertaining. My name’s Charles Touma, my office on Thurlow Street is always open for you to come in and have a chat.