The Rising Sun

The Rising Sun Hotel was established in 1846 by William Beck, a "black African" man who had previously run the Kensington Arms; the hotel was later referred to as "Black Becks".^[9] The inn occupied the premises at 64 Bridge Street from 1848 to 1882,^[10] during which the Beck family was associated with it for its first two decades; Sarah Ann Beck and then Alexander Beck held the licence following William's death. In 1858 the inn was described as "a public house of brick, 7 rooms, bar, kitchen, stables, sheds and garden"; by 1864 it included a cellar. Edwin T. Smith, proprietor of Kent Town Brewery, bought the inn, and Benjamin Morey, who served as local councillor in 1863–64, held the licence until October 1878. Smith improved the building, adding an enclosed area at the front and fitting the interior with cedar woodwork. After Morey came William Hamlin Fairley and John Paul Dunk in 1879, followed by Henry White Newlyn in 1880.^[9]

Newlyn moved the inn to a new two-storey building on the corner of High Street^[9] in 1882, which remained as the Rising Sun Hotel until 1909, although he left proprietorship in 1885.^[10] Meetings of groups such as ratepayers^[11] and Oddfellows,^[12] as well as coronial inquests, were held at the hotel in the 1880s.^[13][14]

The old building, owned by Smith until 1913, was converted into three residential tenancies. It was used as a motorcycle factory from 1950 to 1972, manufacturing the only South Australian-produced motorcycles. After that the building lay derelict until it was converted into a boutique pub in 1983.^[9] It was heritage-listed on the South Australian Heritage Register as the "Rising Sun Inn" in the same year.^[15] The corner building which housed the hotel at the turn of the century was heritage-listed in 1990, as two attached shops and a residence.^[16]

The internationally renowned visual effects company, Rising Sun Pictures, took its name from the pub^[17] after its founders had their first meeting there^[18] in 1995.^[17]

In 2015 Grant Goodall took over the establishment from its previous owner of eight years, chef Tom Savis.^[18] Today it is known as simply "The Rising Sun".^[9]

Parks

Borthwick Park has its front entrance on Thornton Street,^[25] with two other entrances off Bridge Street and High Street via Heanes Lane. Second Creek runs through the park.^[26] Alby South (born c. 1920, who was a member of the KRA for 30 years, and was a Kensington Ward councillor for 10 years, was largely responsible for the creation of the park.^[27] It contains a number of large river red gum trees, and has been greatly improved since the 2000s by a revegetation project, undertaken by the Kensington Residents Association (KRA) in association with the council and the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges Natural Resource Management Board. Since 2010, plantings by the volunteer group have helped to establish plants which were native to the area before the colonisation of South Australia, improving biodiversity by establishing new growth under the remnant gums, after removal of invasive kikuyu grass in these areas. Sedges and rushes to help protect banks of Second Creek from further erosion, and a nature play area has been established on one bank.^[26]

Kensington Pioneer Park was created on a former church graveyard in Maesbury Street, and was named in honour of the pioneers of the area who were buried in the cemetery between February 1849 to October 1864.^[28] It is a small park next to "The Village Church", a former church now converted into a residence. The church was non-denominational, later Congregational. The park was created by the local Apex Club in 1966. There is a large rock with a plaque listing the names of all those buried in the cemetery.^[29]

Other amenities

Norwood Swimming Centre, an outdoor pool owned by the council, is in Phillips Street.^[30]

High Street Cafe is next to Mary McKillop School.^[31][32]

Apart from the Rising Sun (mentioned above), there is another pub, the Kensington Hotel, aka "The Kensi", on Regent Street.^[33]