J-P Mayhew donates building housing London’s oldest restaurant to National Trust
J-P Mayhew gave a historic Covent Garden building in London to the National Trust. The 11 million-pound donation safeguards the home of the city’s oldest dining spot. Supporters hope the transfer preserves the long-running eatery for future centuries.
Mayhew owned the building for four decades. The site sits at 34-35 Maiden Lane in central London. The gift is valued at 14 million dollars.
Thomas Rule founded Rules in 1798 as an oyster bar. The restaurant later expanded its menu to traditional British dishes. It survived the British Empire and the Blitz.
Demolition once threatened the structure. Authorities planned a road change in 1971 to expand the nearby Strand thoroughfare. Poet John Betjeman gave an impassioned speech to protect the interior.
A room at the venue now bears Betjeman’s name. Another room honors author Graham Greene. Greene celebrated birthdays there and featured the site in his novel “The End Of The Affair.”
The business hosted King Edward VII alongside his lovers. Famous guests included Charles Dickens and Charlie Chaplin. David Bowie and Madonna also dined inside the venue.
The interior remains plush and colorful. Guests order steak and kidney pies or guinea fowl. Puddings include sticky toffee, treacle sponge and apple crumble.
“There are few restaurants in the world that have endured the test of time like Rules,” Mayhew said Wednesday. “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.”
The gift includes historic items inside the property. These items feature:
- Visitor books and historic menus
- Caricatures and photographs
- Stained glass and signs
The donation also supplies annual rent payments from the business. Those rent funds will pay for conservation tasks each year. The charity called the site a rare example of living heritage.
Hilary McGrady serves as the director-general of the conservation charity. She said the location represents living history where leaders dined, plotted, and sustained traditions. McGrady noted the doors remain open today.
Restaurant proprietor Ricky McMenemy has worked at the establishment for 35 years. McMenemy will now operate as a commercial tenant for the charity.
“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,” he said. “Having already established a very amicable working relationship with the Trust, we look forward to another two centuries in this, our home.”
The National Trust is a British conservation charity founded in 1895. The organization manages historic properties and natural sites across the United Kingdom. Its mission focuses on preserving heritage sites for public access.
The dining room continues daily service in London. Its business operations remain unchanged under the new property agreement.
