A 228-year-old building that houses London's oldest restaurant has been donated to Europe's biggest conservation charity in the hope of saving it for centuries to come, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Along with the building, the donation also includes items such as visitor books, menus, caricatures, photographs, stained glass and signs. It also includes annual rent from the ongoing restaurant business, which will go into conservation work each year.
A memorable past
The move, which now ensures that the Covent Garden restaurant cannot be sold on, has drawn attention for more than just its history. According to a report by Daily Mail, Edward VII often dined there with actress Lillie Langtry, even having a curtain specially installed to maintain their privacy.
The king, who ruled from 1901 until his death nine years later, was married to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, with whom he had six children.
However, he was known to have had a series of affairs. Among the women romantically linked with him were Lady Randolph Churchill, Winston's mother, actress Sarah Bernhardt, singer Hortense Schneider and socialite Alice Keppel.Apart from the royalty, a slew of celebrities frequented the eatery.
Author Charles Dickens, rock star David Bowie, the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein, Charlie Chaplin, Carol Channing and many others were spotted there. Authors William Makepeace Thackeray, H. G. Wells, Evelyn Waugh, John Le Carré, as well as agony aunt Claire Rayner have dined there. James Bond actors Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan have also been there.Rules introduced the popular Royal 29 cocktail in the honour of the marriage of William and Kate on April 29, 2011.
The cocktail included ground rose petals and crystallised violet petals, citrus juice, a shot of No. 3 Gin from Berry Bros & Rudd, half a shot of Lillet, a single measure of pink vodka and a Maraschino cherry.Along with this, Rules has an eccentric 'green room' story. The venue's website calls it 'an unofficial "green room" for the entertainment industry, hosting legendary actors from Henry Irving to Laurence Olivier and cinema icons like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin'.
Ownership and legacy
Across its history spanning 228 years, the restaurant has been owned by only four different families. Its latest owner, Jean Pierre Mayhew, 78, decided after more than four decades to give the £11million building housing the restaurant, between Covent Garden and The Strand in central London, to the Trust. Rules will continue to operate as before, with Ricky McMenemy, the existing owner of the catering business, becoming a commercial Trust tenant.
Mayhew bought the restaurant in 1984 from the daughter of Tom Bell. McMenemy has worked there for 35 years, with the restaurant employing 90 staff members and accommodation for 90 diners.“There are few restaurants in the world that have endured the test of time like Rules,” Mayhew said Wednesday, as per AP. “The Trust will protect this place in a way that no one else could, safeguarding its bricks and mortar, its famous interior and its invisible atmosphere, too.”“As an independent business, it gives us both the security and peace of mind that our home will be in very good hands and be protected and secure going forward,” said McMenemy. “Having already established a very amicable working relationship with the Trust, we look forward to another two centuries in this, our home.”Rules was opened by Thomas Rule, whose family remained owners until the end of the First World War. In the beginning, the restaurant focused on oysters, which are still on the menu, now at £5.75 each.
Just before World War I, Charles Rule, a descendant of the founder, considered a move to Paris, and crossed paths with Tom Bell, owner of the Parisian restaurant, Alhambra, leading to an unexpected yet transformative business exchange.Other meals which could have been enjoyed by Dickens or patrons such as Charlie Chaplin and Carol Channing have included steak and kidney pie, now £26.25, with chips, mash or dauphinoise potatoes for £6.95 extra.
The puddings and cheese menu features an apple and sultana crumble with custard for £11.50, and Stilton cheese and biscuits priced at £13.95.Its website says that during the Second World War it remained open, "offering essential rationed meals at five shillings while still indulging patrons with the likes of rabbits, grouse and pheasants."It was previously threatened with destruction by the Greater London Council in 1971, set to be demolished along with nearby historic market Covent Garden, while the Strand was to become a dual carriageway. Only a campaign involving Rules diner and poet Sir John Betjeman helped stop the unwanted 'progress'. Sir John said at a planning meeting: "A place constantly used by actors, managers and famous people, as Rules has, acquires an invisible atmosphere, just as a church frequented by praying people acquires an atmosphere.
We can sense it, and it will not photograph."