Lord Nelson Hotel, Millers Point, Historic brewery hotel in Millers Point, Australia.
The Lord Nelson Hotel is a licensed brewery hotel in Millers Point, a historic neighborhood in the western part of central Sydney, New South Wales. The building is made of sandstone blocks and features arched doorways, timber windows, and decorative parapets along the facade.
The Lord Nelson was built in the late 1830s by William Wells, a plasterer, to designs by architect Michael Lehane. It received its liquor licence in June 1842, making it the oldest continuously licensed hotel in Sydney. The sandstone blocks are thought to have come from quarries at the base of Observatory Hill. In 1938, architects Copeman, Lemont and Keesing remodelled the interior for Tooth and Co. under a 20-year lease.
The hotel's name recalls Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson, a nod to the maritime trades of Millers Point. The pub brews its own beer on the premises, and the ground-floor bar has thick sandstone walls and low timber ceilings. The painted sign 'Sydney's Oldest Hotel' refers to its continuous licence since June 1842.
The hotel sits in Millers Point, an area within easy walking distance of central Sydney and the harbor. Since it operates as an active hotel, it is worth checking current opening hours for the bar, restaurant, and event spaces before you visit.
The sandstone blocks are thought to have come from the quarry at the base of Observatory Hill, the area around the north end of Kent Street known as "The Quarries", which supplied much of early Sydney's stone. The hotel's licence dates from June 1842, making it the oldest working licensed hotel in Sydney.
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