Sydney Wentworth History
In 1800 the site of the first Wentworth Hotel in Lang Street became part of a developing area of the new colony of Sydney called Church Hill. In 1824 three substantial, two storey terrace houses were built in Lang Street. The last terrace, No 3 Church Hill, became the future Wentworth Hotel. William Charles Wentworth and Dr Wardell launched "The Australian" newspaper which was published from No 3 Church Hill in 1833.
In 1854 a boarding residence was operated on the site which became known as Wentworth House. In 1882 Mary Hayes purchased Wentworth House and renamed it the Wentworth House Family Hotel. On Christmas Day in 1888, fire destroyed Wentworth House. In 1901 the lease on the Wentworth Hotel was given to Donald Samuel Maclurcan and remained in the Maclurcan family until 1950.
The Wentworth Ballroom was added and opened in 1920. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII and the Duke of Windsor after abdication, danced in the new ballroom on a number of occasions. By 1925, the hotel was a well established and popular destination and was expanded to 100 rooms and further expanded in 1940 to 200 rooms.
In 1950 Qantas Empire Airways negotiated a controlling interest in the hotel, thus beginning a new phase in the development of the hotel. In 1961 approval was granted for Qantas to build a new 400 room hotel next to Qantas House in Chifley Square. The new Wentworth Hotel was completed in 1966 and was the first five star hotel in Sydney. In 1982, the hotel was resold and further refurbishments were done.
In 2002 Accor became the new operators of the hotel. Sofitel, as part of the Accor group manage the day to day running of the Wentworth.
The Wentworth Hotel has hosted many international dignitaries and celebrities, such as Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Other visitors have been Prince Charles and Princess Diana, numerous film and sports stars as well as the first men on the moon.
