Kindness · Covent Garden, London, England, UK
Home of London's oldest restaurant gifted to National Trust
Who owns the Rules restaurant building in London now?
J-P Mayhew, owner for 40 years, has donated the freehold of 34-35 Maiden Lane in Covent Garden, home of Rules restaurant since 1798, to the National Trust. The gift is valued at more than £11m. Rules will keep trading under its proprietor, who becomes a Trust tenant, and the rent will support conservation.
What happened?
J-P Mayhew has owned Rules for 40 years. This month he announced that he had donated the freehold of its building to the National Trust. The gift is valued at more than £11m.
Rules has operated at 34-35 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, since 1798. Thomas Rule founded it as an oyster house. The National Trust describes it as London’s oldest surviving restaurant.
What changes for the restaurant?
Very little for diners. Rules will keep trading under its current proprietor, Ricky McMenemy, who becomes a commercial tenant of the National Trust. McMenemy has worked at Rules for 35 years. He said the arrangement gives the independent business security for the future.
The annual rent will go towards the National Trust’s conservation work.
Why does it matter?
The gift makes the building inalienable. This means it cannot be sold or otherwise disposed of in future.
It also includes the restaurant’s historic collection. That collection includes visitor books, menus, caricatures, photographs, stained glass and signs.
Rules will be the first historic restaurant still trading in a building cared for by the National Trust. The charity already cares for 39 historic pubs that remain open, including the George Inn in Southwark and the Crown Bar in Belfast.
Hilary McGrady, the National Trust’s director-general, said the building now has “a future measured not in years but generations”.
An appeal from 1971
In 1971, the Greater London Council proposed turning the Strand into a dual carriageway. The poet John Betjeman defended Rules and its “invisible atmosphere” at the time. Mayhew said his gift is his answer to that appeal.
The Museums Association notes that many historic buildings in central London face redevelopment pressures and economic challenges.
Sources & reporting notes
We checked the Museums Association's report of 15 October 2026, which matches Associated Press and PA Media coverage. The £11m valuation comes from the National Trust and press reports, not an independent valuation. The lease terms were not published.
- Museums Journal (Museums Association) · 15 October 2026
Report of the gift, its value, the tenancy arrangement and the historic collection included.
- Associated Press via ABC News · 14 October 2026
Confirms the donor, the roughly £11m valuation and that the restaurant continues as a tenant.
- National Trust · 34-35 Maiden Lane
The National Trust's page about the building and its care.
Have a correction or a confirmed update? Contact our editorial team.
Common questions
- Is Rules restaurant closing?
- No. Rules will keep trading as a restaurant under its current proprietor, Ricky McMenemy, who becomes a commercial tenant of the National Trust.
- Why does the gift matter?
- The gift makes the building inalienable, which means the National Trust cannot sell or otherwise dispose of it in future. Annual rent from the restaurant will go towards the Trust's conservation work.