Rules restaurant building donated to National Trust in reported £11m gift
The historic Covent Garden property and its contents have been donated to the charity. Rules will continue operating under a commercial tenancy.
The building housing Rules, London’s oldest restaurant, in Covent Garden has been donated to the National Trust by JP Mayhew, according to reports published on 14 October. The gift includes the property’s historic contents, while Ricky McMenemy will continue operating the restaurant as a commercial tenant of the charity.
What the National Trust will own
The Evening Standard reported that Mayhew gave the charity the freehold of 34–35 Maiden Lane, where Rules has operated since 1798, in a gift valued at £11 million. It said rent from the restaurant business will support conservation work.
Mayhew sold the restaurant business to McMenemy in 2022, The Guardian reported. National Trust curator Lucy Porten told the paper that the charity’s day-to-day involvement would probably be light touch and that Rules would continue as a restaurant.
Sources and context
- London’s oldest restaurant given to National Trust to safeguard futureEvening Standard
- Rules, London’s oldest restaurant, donated to National TrustThe Guardian
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