All Saints & Sinners was known historically as Rockhampton Home. It was used as
an inn until 1850, and then became a presbytery and chapel for the Catholic
Church. It has also been an antique outlet and a craft shop. Later it became a
boarding house and has now been upgraded to a bed & breakfast. The house was
built in three sections.
The first was pre 1833. Built of double handmade brick and covered in plaster
and lath. This room is now the dining room. The Catholic Church purchased the
house in 1850 and used this room as their chapel and presbytery until 1887.
Circa 1855 the section of house now used as the guest lounge was built, again of
double handmade brick.
The two-storey section now used for accommodation was built circa 1895 and was
not completed until 1900 (as was the front veranda). It was timber framed and
coated in plaster and lath both inside and out. Maintaining this finish became
un-viable some time prior to the 1960's when the then owners veneered the east
and north walls in concrete blocks. The previous owner had the north wall rendered to return it to it's original look
in 1996. We took over in 2006 and have refurbished the accommodation and kitchen
facilities significantly.
In the 1800's much of the population of early New Norfolk were assigned convicts
and ticket-of-leave people. Martin Cash was the famous highwayman of the day.
Back then kitchens were external buildings, as were laundries - these no longer
exist. Bathrooms for the working class never existed. The old stables are still
in the car park, all be it much damaged by the equally old walnut tree - now
gone the way of all good trees that were planted in the wrong place.
The café is in it's original state with 14' 6" ceiling and massive cornices,
skirting boards and ceiling rose-Georgian in character.
In the early 1920's electricity arrived in New Norfolk and the then owners had a
single electric light installed in the centre or the café ceiling, today we like
a few more lights in such a large area (10). The balance of the house enjoyed a
minimum of light also; each long hallway had only one light. Each room had one
light and one single power point, now replaced by three lights and four double
power points.
In 1999 the old house was re-furbished and given a new lease of life. Small
single bedrooms had walls removed and ensuites installed. A sprinkler system
required that downstairs ceilings be lowered. The original stair case remains as
do the skirting boards and panel doors (in spite of the building inspector).
The name changed from Rockhampton Home, which, over time, became Rockhampton
House. In circa 1986 the then owners changed Rockhampton House to Norfolk Lodge
Guest House. The current owner, in 1999, changed this name to Saints and Sinners
Colonial Bed & Breakfast and Café as a result of the upgrading from a boarding
house. It's now called All Saints & Sinners.
The name Saints & Sinners was derived from one of the local history books which
stated that in the mid 1800's this end of the town, because of the proximity of
St Matthews Church and Rockhampton House, (then operating as a chapel and
presbytery), to the Star & Garter Hotel and the New Norfolk Hotel was known as
the saints and sinners end of town.
