The Australian Bar – Missing

On the corner of Hurst Street and Bromsgrove Street is a gay bar now known as “Missing”.

The building is of Victorian design and dates back to 1897, when much of this part of the area was first developed. The building has always been a pub or bar and has had several names over the years. By 1861 it was listed as The Australian Vaults, then by twenty years later is had become The Australian Gin Palace. Two years later the “Gin” had been dropped and it remained the Australian Palace until the Second World War. By 1950 it had become the Australian Bar, then at some time prior to the turn of the century, the “Missing” monniker had been adopted. For many of these years it was part of Davenports small estate of tied pubs.

It was taken over in January 2010 by 7 Carat Ltd and refurbished soon after. Once known as a cabaret bar, the management instead attempted to make Missing a “party bar”.

Together with a larger than life statue of Marilyn Monroe (which has somehow found its way onto a rooftop ledge on the Hurst Street side of the building), a rainbow flag that often spans the entire length of the venue and Hurst Street’s iconic life size glittery rhino just opposite. Missing certainly takes extravagant to the next level.

Regular cabaret acts, go-go dancers, local DJ’s and an always energetic atmosphere all contribute to Missing’s relentless popularity on the scene. Having recently undergone a refurbishment, the bar is now sleeker than ever (apparently!), with the upstairs ‘Luna Bar’ coming complete with lasers, mirrored walls and its very own upstairs outdoor smoking garden.

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On the side of Missing facing up Hurst Street is the statue of Marilyn Monroe based on a scene from the 1955 film “Seven Year Itch”. It seems that the original scene was shot on a New York Street with a subway train supposedly creating the updraft that made Monroe’s dress billow up. However Monroe’s baseball player husband, Joe DiMaggio, was on set and they had an argument, so the scene was re-shot in the studio. The “Billowing Dress” scene went on to be recreated on numerous occasions for publicity purposes. The statue in Hurst Street has been there for at least 12 years and the colour seems to be changed each time the building is painted.

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To complete the sculptural experience at the junction between Hirst Street and Bromsgrove Street, here is another look at the “Rhinestone Rhino” on the roof of the building opposite Missing.

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