page_title: Mount Victoria Manor
section_title: The Cooper family
hierarchical_section_title: Mount Victoria Manor / The Cooper family
caption_attribution_description: English: Wedding of Emily Hutchinson Cooper in 1908
context_page_description: Mount Victoria Manor in Mount Victoria, New South Wales is a building of historical significance and is listed on the New South Wales Heritage Register. It was built in 1876 by the Fairfax family as a mountain retreat and was owned by them for the next decade. It then was purchased by the Cooper family and converted to one of the most luxurious hotels in the Blue Mountains. It remained in this family until 1966 and was then the property of various proprietors until 2015 when it became known as Mount Victoria Manor. Today it is a hotel which provides accommodation, restaurant and bar facilities and is a venue for special events particularly weddings.
context_section_description: The Cooper family owned the Manor for the next eighty years. George Hubbard Cooper (1845-1919) who bought the property in 1887 was born in 1845 in Sydney. His father was Captain John Cooper, Master Mariner who for some years owned the Rose and Crown Hotel in Argyle Street at The Rocks. In 1869 he married Margaret Hutchinson (1849-1935) who was the daughter Thomas Hutchinson, a builder of Surry Hills. The couple had one son and three daughters. George also became a builder and entered into partnership with George Wilson to become the firm Cooper and Wilson, builders and contractors at Forest Lodge in Sydney. 
  In 1887 he bought “The Manor House” and by 1890 made major additions to the property. The following is the description in a newspaper of these additions.
  "The Manor House,  which occupies one of the most commanding positions in the little town of Mount Victoria,  was at one time the property of Mr. J. R. Fairfax, who once made this beautiful neighbourhood  his home. Since then it has passed into the hands of Mr. G. H. Cooper who, by the expenditure of nearly two thousand pounds devoted to its enlargement and the making of several extensive additions, has converted it into one of the most comfortable and convenient boarding-houses to be met with on the mountains. The grounds, which are exceedingly spacious, containing seven acres of land, are planted with shade trees, and the whole estate bears evidence of the taste which has been expended upon its adornment.
  In addition to the original houses, which were built with every regard to comfort, Mr. Cooper has lately added a large brick building containing twenty-six bedrooms, and four double rooms, all large, lofty, and splendidly ventilated. A billiard - room and large dining - room are contained in a house adjoining in fact, the whole establishment is comprised of  a series of buildings which occupy the crest  of the ridge, which affords an extensive  view of the Valley of the Grose and the  Mount Victoria coal mines. At least one hundred people can now be accommodated at Mr. Cooper's establishment.
  From the verandah of the Manor House one overlooks the buildings of the township, the railway station, and a vast stretch of undulating country, broken by many hollows, which is one of the chief characteristics of mountain scenery, each succeeding ridge being bluer or more purple than the last, until the picture sinks away into a distance which mingles with the sky."
  Over the next eight years, the Coopers made further alterations including the tower which can be seen in the 1898 photo of the property. In addition, the name was changed to "The Grand Hotel". This later became “Coopers Grand Hotel”. Besides accommodation the Coopers provided a horse-drawn coach service to the Jenolan Caves. A description of this service in 1905 as well as the hotel is given in this reference. 
  One of the Coopers daughters whose name was Emily Maud Margarita Cooper was a famous soprano of that time. She adopted the stage name of Emily Hutchinson Cooper. In 1908 she was married to George Edward Roberts in Mount Victoria and the wedding reception was held at the Manor House Hotel. A description of the wedding appeared in many newspapers at that time. Melbourne Punch published the wedding photo (shown) and described the marriage in the following terms.
  "On Wednesday evening. April 29th, at the Presbyterian Church, Mount Victoria, the wedding took place of Mr. George Edward Roberts and Miss Emily Hutchinson Cooper, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cooper, of the Grand Hotel, Mount Victoria. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. G. A. Gordon. Miss Hurley played the Bridal March from Lohengrin as the bride entered the church leaning on the arm of her father. She wore a beautiful gown of white satin duchesse veiled in lace, and her veil of hand-embroidered net was worn over a wreath of orange blossoms. Her shower bouquet oi white carnations and asparagus fern, and a pearl and ruby brooch were the bridegroom's gifts. Miss Florrie Cooper, who attended her sister as bridesmaid, wore a frock of pale blue paillett
caption: Wedding of Emily Hutchinson Cooper in 1908
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