Lord Nelson Hotel, Millers Point

Millers Point was originally named by Europeans as Cockle Bay Point but was renamed Miller's Point after an ex-convict, John "Jack the Miller" Leighton. The area at the north end of Kent Street and the western end of Windmill Street was known as "The Quarries" and supplied a large part of the early stone for Sydney. The land on which the hotel is situated was part of two Crown grants: to the plasterer Wells dated 14 May 1836 and (in trust) to Richard Drier dated 30 November 1840. A census of 1834, however, indicates that there were three William Wells living in Kent and Argyle Streets in the 1830s. == Description ==

The Lord Nelson Hotel is a smooth faced, three storey sandstone building in the Old Colonial Regency style. The building has a hipped, corrugated asbestos cement roof, following the "L-shaped" form of the building. The roof cladding is not original and is partially concealed by a decorative parapet and moulded capping, which extends around both facades along the full length of the building. Modifications and dates • : hotel built. • 1842–1845: possible extensions to the north and west. • 1922: remodelling of second floor accommodation. • 1930s: kitchen and WC. • 1938: ground floor bar altered, new internal stairs and remodelling of second floor accommodation. • 1957: keg slide constructed. • 1960: ground floor bar altered. • 1980s: general exterior fully restored. • 1986: brewery incorporated into hotel. • 1987: deck and service stair enclosed, first floor bar installed. • 1988: fire due to flue causes damage. == Heritage listing ==

The Lord Nelson Hotel is highly significant as the oldest working licensed hotel in the city. It was only one of only two hotels in the immediate area to be retained by the Sydney Harbour Trust when Millers Point was resumed during the time of the plague in 1900. The Lord Nelson Hotel is also significant as one of three hotel buildings in the Old Colonial Regency style in the city. The other two include the Hero of Waterloo Hotel and a commercial terrace at 246 George Street. The Lord Nelson is the finest example of the three. It is also significant as it provides a strong contribution to the urban character of the immediate area. The building provides a rare surviving working example of an early hotel from the 19th century. It also has significance as part of a network of corner hotels in the northern end of the city that provided social and recreational venues and budget accommodation. The site may have scientific significance because of the age of the building and its continual use since the early days of European settlement. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The building is highly significant as a rare surviving example of the Old Colonial Regency style. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales. The building is representative of the prominent corner hotels which held an important place in the social structure of the city, and particularly in the Millers Point and waterfront area. == See also ==