The Caledonian Hotel in Wilson Street was Horsham's second hotel, constructed by George Walsh in 1854.

It had extensive stables, necessary in those days as the only means of transport was by horse.

It was initially licensed as refreshment rooms but on 25 September 1855 Walsh secured a liquor licence.

He was described by his contemporaries as an "odd character" as some reminiscences published in the Horsham Times in 1944 reveal.

"Mr Walsh ... was a pure egoist in his manner and ... he dubbed himself 'King of Horsham'."

He was also known to flout the law, having been charged on several occasions:

- attack on his cook, fined £5;

- charged with serving liquor on a Sunday, cautioned;

- giving a false report regarding birth of a child, pleaded guilty.

Other reminiscences, published in the Horsham Times on 21 April 1944, make for thought-provoking reading.

"When my old man returned to Horsham from the Castlemaine goldfields, he put up at the Caledonian Hotel and, as there were a lot of "old lags" [ex-convicts] about, he planted his gold in a hole he dug in the backyard of the hotel.

"That night there was the usual backyard brawl, in the course of which the yard was puddled up to such an extent my old man could not find the place of his plant next morning."

Walsh's licence was cancelled effective 31 March 1858 after only three years.

No reason was recorded but given the foregoing we can guess.

It is difficult to be certain of the exact location of the Caledonian but we believe it to have been at 42 Wilson Street.

The original timber building was demolished, probably around 1910.

The site was used by Wilson Bolton to build a car repair garage, which was acquired during the Second World War for a munitions factory.

After the war it was converted to a hosiery factory.

From about 2004 it was a retail outlet for pine furniture then Clark Rubber.

It is now part of Bunnings Hardware store.

The National Hotel was at 35 Wilson Street, almost directly opposite the site of the Caledonian.

Constructed by Charles Smith about 1874, it appears he named it the National because it was more-or-less opposite the original National Bank at 46 Wilson Street.

That building is now owned by SASSI Hair Design and is probably the oldest building still standing in Horsham.

Smith was granted a publican's licence for the National on 24 September 1874.

In 1876 he sold the freehold to John Gillies, a major landholder and hotel owner in Horsham at the time.

Gillies owned it until 1882 when he applied for it to be de-licenced and the licence transferred to his new, two-storey, brick hotel in Firebrace Street, the White Hart.

The furniture and fittings from the National were sold at auction in January 1883 and the building demolished.

The site is presently occupied by Beaumont Tiles.

Horsham Historical Society is open from 1.30-4.30 pm, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 33 Pynsent Street, Horsham.