Charles Matthews owned 13 acres of land, Part of Section 337, across the Main North Road from the Gepp's Cross Inn, on the south eastern corner of Gepp's Cross intersection, where he operated a blacksmith shop. In December 1848 Matthews applied for a publican's licence for the 'Blacksmiths Arms Hotel' on his premises, but Isaac Gepp objected on the grounds that two hotels being placed exactly opposite each other would probably cause the road to be obstructed by drays. The bench ruled that competition for custom would induce a disregard for order or public convenience and the application of Charles Matthews was refused. John Merritt who farmed next to the Gepp's Cross Inn and across the road from Matthew's blacksmith shop took out an option to purchase Matthews' 13-acre property. Merritt relinquished this option after he became publican of the Grand Junction Inn in 1851. In 1850 Isaac Gepp transferred his licence and lease of the Gepp's Cross Inn on land Section 360 to Charles Matthews. In 1851 Matthews dropped the former licensee's name from the inn name and changed it to the Victoria Cross. It obviously didn't sit well with the patrons who by then referred to the area around the inn as Gepp's Cross and in all likelihood continued to call the inn by its colloquial name. Matthews reverted to the accepted name in 1852. Gepp sold his Part Section 360 to Charles Matthews in November 1854 for the sum of £900, with repayment set out in the terms of a mortgage and two lease payments of £50 per year each for inn and surrounding land until the purchase was complete. Months before he purchased the Gepp's Cross Inn and land Part Section 360 Charles Matthews had let the inn run down. In March 1854 he was cautioned to keep his house in a proper state of cleanliness. By the end of 1858 Matthews was in financial difficulty and he sold one acre of his Part Section 360 bordering John Merritt's farm to the council, which wanted the land to erect a civic hall and stray animal pound. Once built the hall was used as a council office and school until 1899 when it was used as a dwelling.