One of Sydney’s oldest and most beloved pubs, home of the first pub-brewery, the Lord Nelson in The Rocks, has been bought by pub king and brewer of late, Arthur Laundy.
Landmarking the corner of Kent and Argyle Streets, the multi-storey building, in Old Colonial Regency style, was constructed in the late 1830s from local sandstone. Granted a hotel licence in 1842 it lays claim to being possibly Sydney’s oldest continually licensed hotel.
In modern times it is also equidistant between Sydney Harbour transportation hub Circular Quay and the massive redeveloped Barangaroo precinct.
Blair Hayden bought the pub with business partners Robert-Hill Smith and Michael Gilbert in 1986, paying the Maritime Services Board of NSW just $750K, and utilising a photograph from 1852 restored the harbourside building.
It boasts a ground floor public bar with original features, first-floor fine dining restaurant, two floors holding nine boutique accommodation rooms, and a basement cellar housing Australia’s first fully operational pub brewery, producing its eponymous beverages.
The bulk of Lord Nelson beer sales are from its award-winning ‘Three Sheets’ Pale Ale, brewed since 1986 and available on tap and in the fridges of over 125 Sydney venues, while also distributed in bottles and cans through independent retailers across Australia.
Near the end of 2021 Hayden and partners opted that the time had come, listing the heritage pub and its famed beer brand in a campaign through JLL Hotel’s Kate MacDonald, looking to a suitable replacement operator.
An emotional Hayden thanked long-serving staff and loyal regulars at the time, “from the bottom of our pint glass”, and now offers that his Lord is in good new hands.
“We have a deep affection for this pub; however, after almost 40 years, we recognise that the brand will benefit from improved resources to propel the business to new heights,” he says.
“We have full confidence that the Laundy family will be excellent custodians of ‘The Lord’.”
A stalwart pub popularly known as ‘The Lord’ is arguably a good fit for the seigneur of Australian pubs, who after decades in the game took the plunge to open Marsden pub brewery in 2019, which has gone from strength to strength.
Reportedly paying circa $20 million, the Lord Nelson will be officially under the Laundy Hotels banner in early October, but until then it will be ‘business as usual’.
“It was an honour to bring such an iconic asset and brand to the market and ensure that the Lord Nelson legacy persists in Sydney and throughout Australia,” offers MacDonald.
“Blair and his team have created one of the finest establishments in our city, and having successfully operated for nearly four decades is an extraordinary achievement.
“The Laundy Group is not only well-positioned to operate the pub, but their ability to expand the esteemed beer brand is evident through their large-scale brewery in Marsden Park.”
