The team behind Redfern’s Bat & Ball Hotel are launching their second venue, taking over the historic Carlisle Castle Hotel in Newtown, with plans to reopen the neighbourhood pub in late 2026.
Rather than reinventing the 150-year-old venue, the independent hospitality group says its focus will be on restoring and preserving one of Sydney’s most historic pubs while retaining the character that has made it a local favourite for generations.
Led by Rachael Paul, Zac Godbolt, Dan McBride, Dynn Szmulewicz and executive chef Cameron Votano, the group earned praise following the reopening of the Bat & Ball Hotel in August 2024. The Carlisle Castle marks the team’s second pub together.
Established in 1876, the Carlisle Castle sits on Albermarle Street, just off King Street, and is home to one of Sydney’s most recognisable pub features, an Italian marble bar installed by Resch’s (historic beer and brewing company), during a refurbishment in the early 1920s. The bar will remain a centrepiece of the venue as part of the restoration.
“We are simply custodians of this pub – here to care for it, preserve it, and hand it on in better shape than we found it,” says McBride.
“The Carlisle Castle belongs to this community. It always has. Our job is just to make sure it stays that way for many years to come, until the next great chapter of its life begins.”
Zac Godbolt says the opportunity to work within such a historic venue was one the team couldn’t pass up.
“Standing in front of that Resch’s marble bar for the first time, knowing it has been the centrepiece of this pub since the 1920s – it genuinely stops you in your tracks,” he says.
“The history here is extraordinary, and we can’t wait to give the old girl the glow-up she deserves.”
For Rachael Paul, protecting the pub’s connection to its locals will be just as important as restoring the building itself.
“To be a part of a pub with this kind of community around it – that’s exactly where we want to be,” she says.
“The Carlisle Castle has a fiercely loyal local following, and that’s not something you manufacture. It’s something you protect.”
Votano will oversee the food offering across both the Bat & Ball Hotel and Carlisle Castle, developing a menu that reflects the venue’s own identity.
“The food at the Castle will have its own identity – different to what we do at the Bat & Ball, but every bit as considered,” he says.
“I’m quietly confident we’ll be in the conversation for Sydney’s best schnitty. The Sunday roast situation is also going to be very, very good.”
Alongside the heritage interiors, the team says the beer garden will remain, while further details on the food, drinks program and entertainment will be announced closer to opening.