Two Chairmen | |
---|---|
Type | Public house |
Location | 1, WARWICK HOUSE STREET SW1 |
Coordinates | 51°30′02″N 0°07′54″W / 51.5006°N 0.1317°W / 51.5006; -0.1317 |
Rebuilt | 1756 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | THE TWO CHAIRMEN PUBLIC HOUSE |
Designated | 01-Dec-1987 |
Reference no. | 1066136 |
The Two Chairmen is thought to be the oldest public house in Westminster.[1] Its pub sign, featuring two men carrying a sedan chair, can be traced back to 1729.[2] The pub is near Birdcage Walk, where James I had aviaries for exotic birds, and close to St James's Park tube station. It has been called 'The hidden gem of Dartmouth Street' by The London Evening Standard.[3] It is a Grade II listed building.[4]
The pub is located on Dartmouth Street opposite the infamous early theatre The Royal Cockpit, which was known as a cockfighting arena.[5] Rebuilt in 1756,[6] it is named after the two men who used to carry sedan chairs for wealthy patrons who frequented the pub in its early days. Apparently the sedan chair carriers would wait in the pub for fares which would appear after the cockfights had finished.[7]
In 1935, the pub was the location of the founding of the Society of Civil Service Authors.[8]
mentioned in the book”Lethal White” by Robert Galbraith