The Waterloo Inn was situated opposite the Stores of David Cohen in High Street West Maitland.

John Wilkinson was the proprietor in the 1840's. Wilkinson was an old Waterloo Veteran of the 1st regiment of the King's Life Guards.

Throughout the 40's, he kept the Inn going although he must have been almost blind as by 1849 he was rendered completely blind from cataracts. His sight was restored to him by the surgical skill of Mr. Cartwright in 1849 and Wilkinson in thanking Mr. Cartwright commented that he could read and write again and 'admire the beauties of nature in his garden'.  He would have been able to admire the large carpet (diamond) snake that was found coiled in a branch of a willow tree in his garden in 1852. It was 7'9" long.

(We had one of those too!!)

Despite many years of conducting the Inn, he came very close to losing the license in 1852 when he was convicted and fined for assaulting Constable McCabe after an altercation about McCabe's right to enter a private dwelling. The issue of his license was delayed a week and then eventually restored to him. However he was 62 years of age by this time and a few months later the license for the Waterloo was taken out by his friend, storekeeper Henry Collier. Henry and Norah Collier's wedding reception had taken place at the Waterloo in 1846.

Alexander Wilkinson took out the license in April 1853

Richard Jones was granted the license in April 1859