Decline and Rediscovery

The 1860s saw a boom in the expansion of railway lines across NSW, particularly routes which would provide connections between Sydney and major rural settlements across the Blue Mountains area and beyond. This rapid expansion of faster, safer transport led to the decline of wayside inns as an infrastructural necessity and their dwindling patronage increased competition between the various public houses. This competition led to the closure of many wayside inns and may have been the reason behind the White Hart’s eventual abandonment. The last publican's licence for the inn was issued in 1874, and evidence suggests that shortly after this it ceased functioning as a public house. The last reference to the White Hart Inn occurs in 1885 when it was reported that "Bryan's late the White Hart Inn" (Evening News 21 October 1885:7) was used as a polling place for the local elections, and it appears that the house was demolished sometime after this, in the late 1880s-1890s. 

​

The White Hart Inn was rediscovered in 2013 after Transport for NSW (now Sydney Metro) began to carry out archaeological test excavations in the area, in preparation for the building of a new train line. Excavations conducted by EMM Consulting's cultural heritage team on behalf of Sydney Metro revealed the sandstone footings of the main building, the detached kitchen, the remains of the cistern, and the assemblage of objects now housed in the Macquarie University Australian History Museum. The original design for the rail line placed a pylon supporting the Skytrain track in the middle of the White Hart Inn site, however after the remains were discovered and their significance was realised, the plans were changed to preserve the heritage. A series of community open days were held after the excavation was completed, and members of the local area were invited to visit the site, learn about its history, and interact with the objects uncovered. The rediscovery of the site opened up a window into the past, revealing what the lives of ordinary people were like in Sydney nearly 200 years ago, and acts as a powerful reminder that history isn't distant or irrelevant — in fact, our cultural heritage is all around us.