Standing confidently on the corner of one of Sydney’s most historic suburbs, The Lord Nelson is one of Sydney’s most beloved pubs. With its thick sandstone walls and panelled windows flooding warm light onto the al fresco tables that line the pavement, it really is a top notch place to sip on a schooner (as the pub's signature beer brews away in the huge fermentation tanks). In big news for the patrons of this heritage-listed boozer, it’s just been sold – with the huge state-wide pub group Laundy Hotels snapping up the historic drinking hole for a cool $20 million.
Believed to be the oldest pub brewery in the country, The Lord Nelson is Sydney’s most longstanding continually licensed hotel – it’s been keeping the people of Millers Point in booze since 1841. In 1986, Blair Hayden and his business partners took ownership of the pub, completing a huge restoration project across the three-storey sandstone building.
Now, the pub is changing hands, joining the independent Laundy Hotels empire within the next few months. The Lord will be in good company alongside other Sydney venues including Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, The Light Brigade, and The Woolpack, all of which are beloved in their own right. As part of the $20-million deal, Laundy Hotels has also acquired the pub’s in-house brewery, which pumps out award-winning ales.
If you ask us, it’s a pretty big win for the Laundy team. If you’re worried that things at The Lord Nelson are about to change, we reckon those fears can be put to bed. The Laundy empire owns more than 40 pubs across the state, and manages to adapt each to its setting and demographic. So, we’ve got faith that The Lord Nelson will keep delivering the goods through its new chapter.
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