The Crown & Anchor Hotel

196 Grenfell Street, Adelaide

The Crown and Anchor Hotel at the corner of Grenfell and Union Streets, c.1880s.
Courtesy of the State Library of South Australia.

Established in 1853, the Crown & Anchor Hotel is one of Adelaide’s oldest continuously operating hotels and has long been woven into the cultural life of the East End. Originally serving the workers, traders and visitors of the nearby Produce Market, the hotel evolved alongside the precinct as Rundle Street transformed from a commercial thoroughfare into one of the city’s most vibrant destinations.

Its restrained nineteenth-century façade reflects the hotel’s long history, while behind its walls the Crown & Anchor has earned a reputation as one of Adelaide’s most significant live music venues, launching and supporting generations of South Australian artists. Today, the hotel remains an enduring landmark, embodying both the East End’s rich heritage and its continuing role as a centre for culture, creativity and hospitality.