Historical information

The Ozone Hotel, formerly the Grand Ozone Coffee Palace, was erected in 1890 at a cost of around ten thousand pounds at the corner of Kepler and Koroit streets by a company of local business men and leased out. Coffee Palaces were temperance hotels, which were popular in the latter part of the 19th century and offered recreation and superior accommodation. In 1891, the Coffee Palace was granted a wine licence. In 1895, Thomas Randall was the proprietor of the building and it was renamed the Ozone Hotel. The coffee palace operated until 1915 and was then closed before re-opening in 1920 as Hotels Mansions. It had major renovations including a large theatre area. February 23rd 1929 saw the most spectacular fire in Warrnambool's history when the Hotel Mansions was burnt to the ground. Evelyn O'Brien was granted a temporary licence and in September 1930 she was given permission to rebuild. The new hotel named Hotel Warrnambool was opened in March 1931. This cup is a remnant of the Ozone Hotel.

Significance

The Ozone Coffee Palace and later the Ozone Hotel Hotel Mansions was a significant grand building in Warrnambool. The destruction by fire in February 1929 was a major loss to the town. This cup, although damaged, is of considerable importance as it is one of the few surviving objects from the Ozone Hotel. The cup provides a link to this important part of Warrnambool's history.

Physical description

Tea cup with broken handle, 3 lines near the rim. The two finer our lines are dark green and the thicker, middle line is dark red with a scrolled banner motif - Ozone Warrnambool Hotel in sienna colour. The cup has a crack on the side and some staining. There is significant crazing of the glaze. The cup has potentially been damaged by fire.

Inscriptions & markings

Ozone Warrnambool Hotel