Owner of historic London restaurant donates site to National Trust

• The £11 million freehold of 34-35 Maiden Lane in Covent Garden, home to London’s oldest restaurant Rules since 1798, has been donated to the National Trust.
• Owner J-P Mayhew gifted the site along with historic memorabilia and annual rent from the business to fund ongoing conservation work.
• This donation marks the first time the National Trust has acquired a building housing an historic restaurant that is still actively operating.
• The restaurant will continue to trade as normal, with current proprietor Ricky McMenemy becoming a commercial tenant of the charity.
• Over its history, Rules has hosted famous figures such as Charles Dickens, Charlie Chaplin and King Edward VII and survived the Blitz.

IN FULL

£11m site of London’s oldest restaurant given to the National Trust