Victoria Inn facts for kids

The Victoria Inn is a very old building in Berrima, Australia. It used to be a hotel and a restaurant. It is also known as the Queen Victoria Inn or Allington. This special building was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. This means it is protected because of its important history.

A Look at the Victoria Inn's Past

How the Inn Began

The Victoria Inn was built by Joseph Levy. He was a person who had been in prison but later became a very successful businessman. The inn first opened in 1840. It worked as both a hotel and a place where beer was made. Philip Solomon was the first person to run the inn. An old painting shows that the building once had a verandah, which is like a covered porch.

Changes Over Time

The inn was sold in early 1863. After that, it seems it stopped being an inn for a while. A report from 1868 mentioned it as a past inn. However, its stables were still being used by Cobb and Co, which was a famous coach company.

Later, the building became a home called Allington. In 1876, Dr. George Lambert used it as his doctor's office.

Around the 1960s, it was known as "Arlington House" or "Arlington Inn." But by the late 1970s, it went back to its original name, Victoria Inn.

The Restaurant Years

The stables and a boarding house (a place where people could stay) at the back were later made into a restaurant. This restaurant was called the Victoria Inn Restaurant. A very important person, the Governor-General of Australia Zelman Cowen, visited the restaurant in 1986. Today, the restaurant is no longer open.

What the Victoria Inn Looks Like

The old Victoria Inn is a one-and-a-half-story cottage. It is built with special sandstock bricks and has sandstone decorations. The front of the building is symmetrical, meaning both sides look the same. It has a central door with a fanlight (a window shaped like a fan) above it. The windows are double-hung sashes, which means they slide up and down.

The roof is hipped, meaning it slopes down on all four sides. Inside, the ceilings are made of lath and plaster. There is also a beautiful staircase and other wooden parts made from cedar wood. The building has ten rooms with high ceilings. The outside walls are built with a strong pattern called English bond brickwork. The inside doors have six panels. The two rooms in the attic (the space just below the roof) have dormer windows. These windows stick out from the roof and have decorative wooden boards. One old cedar fireplace is still there. At the back, there is a large section of other buildings that were added at different times.

Why the Victoria Inn is Important

The former Victoria Inn is very important because it shows us what life was like when Berrima was first settled. It played a big part as a stop for coaches traveling south in the early days of the colony.

It is also important because it is a beautiful old Georgian cottage. It is still mostly in its original shape and has many old details. The Victoria Inn helps make Berrima village look historic. It is one of the most important buildings on Jellore Street.

Heritage Listing

The Victoria Inn was officially listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.