Many Kalgoorlie locals will recognise the building in the photograph below as Tippetts Tea Room at 100 Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie (now the House of Babes). However, before being named Tippetts it was called the Albany Bells Tea Rooms. I had thought this name may have come about from someone possibly from Albany but when I researched the name I found that Albany Bell was in fact the owner and the founder of the Albany Bell Confectionary Empire. He first opened a store in the Endowment block at 255 Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie before opening a second establishment at 100 Hannan Street c1910. This was followed by a third establishment in Burt Street Boulder.
Albany Bells Tea Rooms Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie 1912 – Photo SLWA – J J Dwyer
Peter Albany Bell (1871-1957) – caterer and philanthropist, was born on 20 April 1871, near Clare, South Australia, son of Peter Bell, farmer, and his wife Jane nee Craig. He had little formal education before moving with his widowed mother to Western Australia in 1887. For six years he was in turn a draper’s delivery boy, an inland stockman and a shop assistant; then in 1894 he opened a small shop in Hay Street, Perth, making and selling confectionery and lemon squash. In the next decade he opened more shops and a confectionery factory, and in 1898 studied the soda-fountain trade in the United States of America.
Peter Albany Bell – Photo SLWA
On his return he introduced new products and methods, such as pure fruit juices and sundaes, but after Federation the competition of confectionery from the eastern States led him to begin manufacturing cakes and pastry. His shops were transformed into tea-rooms. Albany Bell Ltd, formed in October 1911, ultimately controlled eleven city tea-rooms and three in Kalgoorlie and Boulder. He employed about four hundred workers in the shops and in an attractive model factory at Mount Lawley. All received two weeks annual leave on full pay before awards required it, his goldfields workers also received holiday rail-fares to the coast.
For nearly thirty years Albany Bell’s tea-rooms were famous, but in 1925, as chairman of the Master Caterers’ Association, he was involved in a disorderly strike lasting over four weeks for a union shop led by the militant Hotel and Restaurant Employees’ Union. Wide public criticism of police inaction led to a censure motion against the government. An appeal by Albany Bell Ltd for deregistration of the union failed, but compulsory unionism clauses in the final agreement were modified. Discouraged by the strike, rising costs and fiercer competition, he sold his interest in the business in 1928.
The Albany Bells Castle, Guilford Rd, Mt Lawley – Photo SLWA
Bell was an early convert to the Churches of Christ and his creed and a social conscience turned him to philanthropy. An enthusiastic member of the Young Men’s Christian Association, he volunteered to work for it overseas in 1916, sailed in October in the Afric and served in both England and France. He returned home in February 1919 and was discharged in March. He had been commissioned as a Justice of the Peace in 1909 and had served on the Children’s Court; on a business trip to the United States in 1915, he had studied progressive treatment of juvenile delinquents. After retiring from business in 1928, he bought 3750 acres (1518 ha) at Roelands near Bunbury which became the Chandler Home for Unemployed Boys and, later, the Roelands Aboriginal Mission.
Tippetts at 100 Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie 1935 – Photo SLWA
The annual harvest of a citrus orchard on his own property at Roelands was left in trust for missions and orphanages; it produced an average crop of over 2000 cases in 1965-75. He made many other charitable donations. Bell died on 14 September 1957, survived by his wife Edith Agnes, nee Clark, whom he had married on 11 March 1896 in Adelaide, and by eight of their nine children; he was buried in Karrakatta cemetery. Albany Bell is significant as a manufacturer in the early years of the century when Western Australia lagged behind the other States in developing urban industries.
The Bell Family Grave – Karrakatta Cemetery Perth WA – Photo Find a Grave
Bell, Peter Albany (1871–1957) by M. Tamblyn
This article was published in Australian Dictionary of Biography,
Moya Sharp
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Great article, Moya. I remember loving having tea at Tippets with my mum.
Fascinating reading Moya, thank you
Thank you Erica glad you found it interesting.
This was a very interesting read, thank you.
Thanky You Edwina so glad you found it interesting. I often wonder how a boy from SA should end up with a name like Albany. A family name maybe (: Kindest regards Moya
This reminded me of our childhood in South Perth in 1940s, of getting day old chicks from Albany Bell Hatchery to stock our chookyard. Thanks for telling more of his story.
That was a very interesting article on Mr. Albany & Tippett’s Tea Rooms.
My mother who lived in Boulder was employed by Tippett’s in the 1930s, before coming to Perth to be married. . I have heard some interesting stories of this store, before she passed away in 1999.
Do you know if there are any records of the business, showing employees etc.
Thank your for your interesting articles.
Hi Janice No Im sorry Im not aware of any employee records but you may be interested to know that a new ‘Tippetts’ had just opened up on the same sire as the boulder shop and I was able to give them the original sign from the shop to hang on their wall which had been given to me many years ago. This is their Facebook page if you would like to have a look:- https://www.facebook.com/TippettsCafe/
I have included your blog in INTERESTING BLOGS at FRIDAY FOSSICKING
http://thatmomentintime-crissouli.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/friday-fossicking-21st-october-2016.html
Thank you, Chris
I remember going to the auction after the closure of Tippets.
I also remember having my first ham and salad roll with a Mexi Orange cool drink at Tippets.
To this day I have had the same roll with an orange cool drink at other cafes but after 40 odd years
have not been able to find a match or better
Are you a local Lou? Have you been to the new Tippets in Boulder?
Loved reading your story on the Tippetts Moya, my great granmother was the sister of the Tippetts (Norm and Fred)and only from your story did I come to know this piece of my families history. I am looking forward to a trip back to Kalgoorlie sometime soon to spend time to look up all the history. I have relatives on 4 sides of my family who had time spent in Kalgoorlie during these early times. We have little knowledge of my great grandfather who was a musician but managed one of the Tippetts gold mines in Kalgoorlie for a short time before he moved to Perth with his family. Kind regards Charmaine Edwards
An interesting read. My great grandmother was also a sister of the Tippetts. I think I have the same great grandmother as Charmaine as my great grandfather was a musician (Charles) Recently I took some visitors to the current Tippetts in Boulder. It stirred memories of my great grandmother and some family tales. I revisited my copy of the Tippett Family history, “Cornish Heritage Tippetts Online” to try to clarify the beginning of the Tippetts Tearooms. It was interesting to read of the thirteen siblings in the family.
Hello Verna, my grandfather was Charles Ovide Smith, son of our great grandmother Amelia Tippett. Who was your grandparent. I have been working on the family tree and really enjoying the stories behind our relatives. Do you have any information on our great grandfather Charles. The little information I have seems to be conflicting with what the family have been told. If you would like to contact me personally my email is cledwards@westnet.com.au
Would love to hear from you.