Its no secret that the current home of Discreet in 687 Hunter Street has a long history. It has stood as a landmark at the far end of Hunter Street for over 150 years and I am sure you would agree that if those wall could talk ……. well it is probably best that they can’t
Many of the heritage features are still contained in the building. Although their presence makes upgrades difficult we believe it is worth it to maintain the magnificent heritage of this grand old dame.
Hidden under the rather low ceilings some of the original iron work ceiling still exists in its original format – it is truly impressive. The stair case has unfortunately been sanded back. But until not that long ago each stair still had the names of previous tenants painted on it. Outside the building, over looking the vacant land is an original mural painted over 100 years ago.
Over the years the building has served many purposes. At times it has been a residence. At one point it was one of the very first butchers in the area. It was also the birth place of one of Australia’s largest security firms. It has also been a dentist, a florist and a funeral parlour. Rumour has it that the building also has a long long history as an underground brothel with back rooms being dedicated to ‘ adult activites’ while the front areas hosted more mainstream business’s. We have to smile when we think of unsuspecting visitors to the dentist or funeral home being completely unaware that they were in the same building as a brothel. The brothel was shut down a number of times but always managed to re-open again. These on and off operations would have continued right up until sex work was decriminalized in 1995
But did you know that our brothel in Newcastle has links to Newcastle brothels that existed over 700 years ago in the UK
The medieval period marked a significant shift in how European societies managed sex work. By the 13th century, many cities established municipal brothels, creating a system where sex work was tolerated but controlled. These “houses of tolerance” emerged throughout Europe, with early examples documented in Newcastle and other trading ports.
The Newcastle brothels were concentrated in areas near the quayside, catering to sailors and merchants, while remaining under strict government oversight. The geographical location of Discreet is very similar to these medieval establishments. In fact we have been told that there are tunnels under the building that lead directly to the waterfront.
Church and state authorities adopted pragmatic approaches to sex work, viewing it as a “necessary evil. Cities created designated red-light districts, often near city walls or ports – places like Newcastle’s “Sandgate” area became known for housing brothels well into the Renaissance period. These zones allowed authorities to monitor and tax the trade while keeping it away from “respectable” neighborhoods. But there is no doubt that despite attempt by governments to control the industry it continued to thrive. At times government regulations would close down whole areas of adult work only to see the industry do under ground and re- emerge It appears that the industry’s dedication to giving pleasure was greater than any prohibitive laws.
Our building at 687 Hunter might be 1000 of kms away from the original Newcastle brothels. But her history of changing and morphing to work around restrictions and unfair legal systems in an industry based city is very similar.
We are proud to be operating in a building with such a rich ” adult history ” We believe her stories add to the atmosphere and our sexy service providers love the link with their past sisters
Newcastle Brothels have been giving pleasure for over 700 years Discreet takes this unique combination of heritage , atmosphere , sensory experience, and dedication to pleasure and devotion to offer our customers something unique and ageless
We hope to see you soon