Royal Oak Hotel

The Royal Oak Hotel is perhaps the oldest continuously licensed hotel in Kilmore. Thomas Hayes was the first licensee of the original Royal Oak Hotel that was built in 1848. This building consisted of six bedrooms and four sitting rooms excluding the “landlord’s apartments”. The yards included two large stockyards and a “commodious stable”.

Various dates have been quoted for when the hotel was “practically rebuilt and enlarged” with 1856 and 1860 being suggestions for “rebuilding” and 1860, 1875-6 and 1887 for enlarging. Matthew Murray was the licensee from 1860 and in 1892 the joint owners were Alexander Murray, stonemason, and Matthew’s son, Thomas Francis Murray, chemist.