THE SHINGLE INN RESTAURANT
EDWARD STREET, BRISBANE, QLD
A POPULAR PLACE FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL DURING WW2

The Shingle Inn Restaurant was located in Edward Street near the Coles Supermarket in the next block up from the AMP Building, the General Headquarters, South West Pacific Area (GHQ SWPA) for General Douglas MacArthur.

The Shingle Inn became very popular with American Service personnel during WW2. Jerry Wolfe was one such American soldier who remembers the Shingle Inn. Jerry contacted me in April 2003:-

I was in an outfit called Acorn Red Five and we left San Francisco on the SS President Monroe in March 1943. We stopped at Port Hueneme, California, and picked up the 60th Seabees, leaving there on March 25, 1943. Enroute to Australia we stopped at the New Hebrides and left there on April 10, 1943, arriving in Brisbane, Australia, on April 25, 1943.

We were billeted at a race track. I liked Brisbane. The people were so friendly and it seemed like home there. I can not remember anything specifically except the Shingle Inn where the food was good. It was the first time that I had ever seen Waffles served with ice cream on them.

For a long time before it closure the Shingle Inn had used a quaint arrangement which allowed customers to alert the waiters of their needs. The customer would face the sugar bowl towards the restaurant desk to let the waiters know you were ready to order and then face it away to indicate that your order had been taken.

The famous Shingle Inn which has been open since 1936, finally shut its doors on 3 August 2002. It will temporarily relocate due to the redevelopment of that part of Edward Street by the Gandel Retail Trust. The Shingle Inn was to operate from temporary locations in Edward Street until the grand reopening in 2004. Prior to its closure the Shingle Inn was owned by Andrew Bellchambers. It has been owned by his family for the last 30 years.

Heritage architects and George Edser, aged 85 years, who supervised the installation of the interior panelling in 1936, are supervising the photographing, and dismantling of the Heritage listed Shingle Inn. This work was to allow the Shingle Inn to be accurately rebuilt on the same site at a later stage of the redevelopment of the site. Unfortunately these plans fell through.

Vicki Bridgstock organised a group of people to take on those responsible for the demise of the Shingle Inn. The group was called B.r.i.s.s.i. - Brisbane Residents in Support of the Shingle Inn.

She launched a campaign to try to get the Shingle Inn reinstated onto the heritage register and force the development group - Gandell - to replace the Shingle Inn into its new development - in its original location.

Plans were announced in June 2007 to have the Shingle Inn installed in the Red Cross centre in the basement of the Brisbane City Hall. The Brisbane City Council Budget directed $180,000 towards rebuilding the shop inside City Hall.

The mock Tudor facade of the Shingle Inn Restaurant on 3 August 2002, its last day

Inside the Shingle Inn on 3 August 2002 with its walnut panelled walls

Inside the Shingle Inn on 3 August 2002

Inside the Shingle Inn on 3 August 2002

Inside the Shingle Inn on 3 August 2002

Menu:- via John Heath

Menu:- via John Heath

Menu:- via Simon Brown

Shingle Inn Menu, possibly a WW2 menu
as it seems to have an American flavour about it

Does anyone have a WW2 Menu for the Shingle Inn?

or any photos of the Shingle Inn taken during WW2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Corrie Vanzantan for her assistance with this home page. Corrie has worked at the Shingle Inn for the last 17 years. I'd also like to thank Vicki Bridgstock, Simon Brown and John Heath for their assistance with this web page.

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 3 August 2002

This page last updated 25 January 2020