True, it looks a bit the worse for wear at the moment but the original builder F.B Mulligan would be proud if he could see the transformation that will take place in time for its 150 birthday. Most recently known as The Farmhouse, the building will become a new social destination, known as The General Merchant, a name harking back to its origins in 1867.
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New owners Carole and Mark McNeil will turn the site into a bar, cafe, restaurant, opening some time early next year after renovating the interior and putting a new entrance down the side.
“The McNeils have wonderful ideas for their new venture that will essentially restore the building to its former glory and that’s a great win for a structure that will be 150 years old next year,” Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall said.
The MP was in Inverell on Wednesday to deliver news the project had received a $100,000 grant, awarded under the NSW government’s Heritage Near Me Activation Grants Program, aimed at conserving and promoting items with local government heritage significance.
“We believe the Premier Farmhouse is the last wooden commercial building in Inverell and possibly the oldest one, too,” Mr Marshall said.
“The project will involve reinstating the heritage awning according to archive photos but it will also involve construction of a covered walkway and access ramp, staying true to its heritage roots, and installing signature pieces inside that evoke the history of the local Inverell community.
“There’s set to be some very quirky pieces included inside, using pieces Mark has gathered such as a coffee table made from spanners from the old Ashford Power Station and a timber piece that was originally the Graman Telephone Exchange that shows residents’ phone numbers from well before it became redundant in the 1960s.”
Mr McNeil says the Inverell Shire heritage architect Mitch McKay and members of the Inverell and District Family History Group, such as Muriel Resta, had been invaluable in providing expert and professional advice and historical research to what he admits is his ‘labour of love’.
“There’s a lot of conjecture about the original awning and when it was built and then taken down but Mitch has been in favour of seeing the awning put back on and has also given us advice about the heritage colours for the paint job,” Mr McNeil said, adding he was hopeful the restoration works would be completed by March and the venue open for business by Easter.
Inverell Shire Council has contributed $20,000 to the project. A history wall will commemorate its past and the local family history group will pull together a booklet, saving and recording the past for posterity.
