Plaque

Rules Restaurant 2

Inscription

Rules®. London's oldest restaurant. In the year Napoleon opened his campaign in Egypt, 1798, Thomas Rule promised his despairing family that he would say goodbye to his wayward past, settle down and open an oyster bar in Covent Garden.
Rules serves the traditional food of this country at its best - it specialises in classic game cookery and is fortunate in owning an estate in the High Pennines "England's last wilderness" which supplies game for the restaurant and where it is able to exercise its own quality controls and determine how the game is treated.
Throughout its long history the tables of Rules have been crowded with writers, artists, lawyers, journalists and actors. As well as being frequented by great literary talents - Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, John Galsworthy & H G Wells, Rules has also appeared in novels by Rosamond Lehmann, Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, John Le Carré, Dick Francis and Claire Rayner.
 On the first floor, by the lattice window, was once the most celebrated "table for two" in London. This was the Prince of Wales' favourite spot for wining and dining the beautiful actress Lillie Langtry.
The past lives on and is captured in literally hundreds of drawings, paintings and cartoons. The late John Betjeman then poet laureate described the ground floor interior as "unique and irreplaceable and part of literary and theatrical London". In all its 200 years, spanning the reigns of nine monarchs and entering its 4th century it has been owned by only 3 families.

Site: Rules Restaurant (2 memorials)

WC2, Maiden Lane, 35

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Rules Restaurant 2

Subjects commemorated i

Sir John Betjeman

Poet Laureate 1972 - 1984. Conservation campaigner. Credited with saving the ...

Read More

Napoleon Bonaparte

Military and political leader. Born at Ajaccio, Corsica. He trained as an off...

Read More

Charles Dickens

Born, son of Elizabeth and John Dickens, at No.1 Mile End Terrace, Landport, ...

Read More

King Edward VII

Reigned: 1901 - 1910. Born and died at Buckingham Palace. Victoria's eldest s...

Read More

Dick Francis

Steeplechase jockey and writer. Born Richard Stanley Francis in Coedcanlas, W...

Read More

Show all 15

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Rules Restaurant 2

Also at this site i

Rules Restaurant 1

Rules Restaurant 1

The English Heritage listing does indeed say "Benjamin  Rule" but we are assu...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Lauderdale House

Lauderdale House

N6, Highgate Hill, Lauderdale House

We wouldn't normally include such a plaque but this one is very decorative.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Moses Montefiore

Moses Montefiore

W1, Park Lane, 99

2019: A flat was available to rent and Homes and Property publicity included this information about the house: "The Grade II-listed corne...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
National Theatre foundation - 1976

National Theatre foundation - 1976

SW1, Belvedere Road, National Theatre

This group of plaques is in the ground floor seating area.

3 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Nelson Lee

Nelson Lee

E8, Shrubland Road, 67

In our photo the plaque can just be seen between the bush and the right hand ground floor window.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Lady Eleanor Holles School

Lady Eleanor Holles School

EC2, Gilbert Bridge

You can just see the left edge of this plaque in our photo, on the pillar at the left.

1 subject commemorated

Previously viewed

W. H. Read

W. H. Read

Member of the Ealing District Council in 1899.

Person, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Sir Bernard Spilsbury

Sir Bernard Spilsbury

NW8, Marlborough Hill, 31

Sir Bernard Spilsbury, 1877 - 1947, forensic pathologist, lived here, 1912 - 1940. English Heritage

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Serjeant George William Tofery

Serjeant George William Tofery

George William Tofery was born in Bromley, Kent, a son of John and Ellen Maria Tofery. When he enlisted for 7 years, with a further 5 years in the Reserves, on 3 April 1907 in the East Surrey Regi...

Person, Armed Forces, France

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
John Lewis and John Spedan Lewis

John Lewis and John Spedan Lewis

NW3, Templewood Avenue, Grange Gardens

John Lewis silk mercer of Oxford Street resided at Spedan Tower, Hampstead from 1888 to 1928 as did his elder son John Spedan Lewis, late...

4 subjects commemorated, 1 creator