Mary Cunningham's Coffee Haven

89 Plenty Road, Preston

Mary Cunningham operated one of two coffee palaces which opened in Plenty Road Preston in 1891. Coffee palaces were often luxuriously decorated buildings designed to offer a non-alcoholic option to hotels however the public did not embrace coffee, preferring tea and hotels were never seriously challenged by this rival. As a result the palaces didn't last long and by 1893 Mary Cunningham was out of business.

Blainey, Geoffrey (2004). Black kettle and full moon : daily life in vanished Australia.  Camberwell: Penguin Books.

Sands and McDougall’s Melbourne and Suburban Directory 1864- 1974. [Microfiche]. (1974). Melbourne, Australia: Sands & McDougall.