No. 139 Nelson Place
Williamstown
139 Nelson Place is more than a handsome heritage building. It is a tangible reminder of Williamstown’s gold-rush prosperity, maritime importance and long tradition of community support for those who worked at sea.
Gold, Gothic Arches and a Haven for Sailors
Built in 1872–73 for the English, Scottish & Australian Chartered Bank (E.S.&A.), 139 Nelson Place is one of Williamstown’s most distinctive Gothic Revival landmarks.
Designed by Leonard Terry and constructed by W. Porter, the red-brick building was the first major purpose-built bank branch in Williamstown and the second suburban E.S.&A. branch in Victoria.
Its steeply pitched roof, pointed ogee windows and trefoil stone tracery give the building a church-like appearance, leading many visitors arriving by ferry to mistake it for a chapel.
E.S. & A. Bank on Nelson Place, Williamstown, c. 1888. Photographer: Andrew Rider. SLV
Hidden Stories
Discover the people who have shaped this community and walked these streets before us.
Bank Clerk Shot
Accidental shooting at bank
Beyond the Ledger
The Men who managed the Williamstown E.S.&.A. Bank: Stratford, Dempster, Power, Peach, Ogilvie, Davidson
E.S. & A. Bank
The first E.S.&A. branch in Williamstown had opened around 1854 in Thompson Street. The purpose-built premises at 139 Nelson Place, complete with a manager’s residence upstairs, reflected the growing wealth and importance of Williamstown as a busy gold-rush port town.
For more than six decades, the building was a centre of Williamstown’s commercial life. Bank managers including William Dempster, Frederick. Power, Percy Peach, Charles Ogilvie and Arthur Davidson were closely connected with the town’s civic and economic development.
The E.S.&A. branch closed in 1937, ending the building’s 64-year association with banking on Nelson Place..
Mission to Seamen
In 1943, the building entered a new chapter when it became St Nicholas’s Mission to Seamen’s Church. During the Second World War and the post-war years, it provided recreation, spiritual comfort and practical support for sailors visiting the port.
In 1947, a stained-glass memorial window titled Christ Showing the Helmsman the Way was installed to honour members of the Merchant Navy lost during the Second World War.
Naval ties & foodie delights
After the Seamens Mission’s Williamstown branch closed in 1966, the building served as the Williamstown Fleet Club, a Naval Dockyard Technical Training School, and later a series of hospitality businesses including
Hogs Breath Cafe,
Breizoz French Crepery,
Ragusa Republika
and currently -
The Eminence.
A table through time - The Restaurants of 139 Nelson Place
139 Nelson Place reflects Williamstown’s gold-rush prosperity, maritime importance and enduring tradition of community support for those who worked at sea. Today, it remains a prominent feature of Williamstown’s waterfront streetscape.
Acknowledgements
Hidden Stories is a tourism initiative of the Williamstown Historical Society in collaboration with the Williamstown Chamber of Commerce. The project received funding from the Hobsons Bay City Council, through a 'Make It Happen' Grant awarded in 2026.
References
No. 139 Nelson Place is listed on the Victorian Heritage Database No. 22196
Coming soon ...
