The first weatherboard Victoria Hotel was built in 1865 by Eliza and Thomas Walsh. A new brick section consisting of 10 rooms was built in 1911 in response to the development explosion that followed the opening of the railway.
The new Victoria flourished and grew in the heart of Gaskill Street providing both hotel and office accommodation.
The weatherboard pub was demolished for extension after World War 1 and a new wing was added forming an interesting corner where folk could congregate for a yarn.
The graceful wooden arches and iron lace of the verandahs were matched in the new wing, though the fashion of the twenties demanded that a veneer of glossy tiles should cover the mellow hand made bricks outside the bar.
The Victoria closed its doors as a hotel in 1966. After the interior was remodeled, it reopened in 1969 as Canowindra Convalescent home, giving renewed life in a period of declining business to one of the most imposing buildings in Gaskill Street.
In more recent times the Victoria Hotel has operated as a Guesthouse and restaurant. It is listed on the national trust along with many of the buildings in Canowindra’s historic main street.