Jesse A.
Yelp
Oh, the Lord Wolseley Hotel, you stalwart Ultimo institution. May you live for another hundred years, keeping up mysterious old traditions, boozing up old men and backpackers.
As a former Ultimo local - and representative authority on all things Ultimo, AND all things related to the former NSW Government Printing Office - the Lord Wolseley has at times been the focal point of my world, both social and academic. What a mad, crazy thing to say about a pub. That's probably not very helpful for YOU, is it, since you want to know about the pub itself. Right.
The Lord Wolseley has a great history. Built in 1881, the Woz was the drinking hole of the infamous Sydney crim Neddy Smith, and company ... and also the favoured pub for the letterpress printers at the NSW Government Printing Office. At five minutes to 1pm on a weekday, the publican would line the bar with 30 cold schooners, and at 1 minute past 1, the printers would rush in. 5 minutes later they were all heading back to the bar for a second shout.
In recent years the Lord Wolseley has changed hands a fair bit. For a while we were worried it would close down. It is now owned by TV mogul Errol Sullivan, who has allegedly promised to keep it as a "good old pub" and not ritz the place up. His sons might be running it, and they might be twins. (For probably inaccurate details on Errol Sullivan's hilarious party, bringing in the change of ownership, see http://penultimo.tumblr.com/post/13470430184/errolwolseley)
The reason the Lord Wolseley has changed very little is that it's on a small bar licence (or something like that) and it's heritage listed. It's also a little off the beaten track, so not attractive to developers and the big-bar owners of Sydney.
What to expect? It's a bit run down, and rather narrow. You can drink outside in the village green, if you behave yourself. The drink price is average, and you might get some raised eyebrows if you try to order a fancy cocktail or an upmarket wine. There are plenty of old locals milling around, happy to engage you in conversation or tell you what a wanker you're being.
Oh yes -- one of the best things about the Lord Wolseley is that it HAS NO POKIES. Ok, I think I need to repeat that. THIS PUB HAS NO POKIES.
Wait! I'm sort of wrong. Technically the Woz has pokies, but they are decommissioned and turned off, shoved into a room in the basement. It makes me grin whenever I see those dead machines - they look like dead daleks. Victory to the Dr!
The kitchen at the Woz has in the past been pretty dire - very greasy stuff with a bit of a Thai twist. But with the new ownership, things may change in the back, we shall see...