Newman Arms
The Newman Arms is a public house and restaurant at 23 Rathbone Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1.[1] The pub dates back to 1730, and was once a brothel.[2]
| The Newman Arms | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) The Newman Arms | |
  The Newman Arms  The Newman Arms | |
| General information | |
| Address | 23 Rathbone Street, Fitzrovia |
| Town or city | London |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51.518124°N 0.135326°W |
The Newman Arms appears in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four where it was the model for the "Proles" pub. It featured again in his Keep the Aspidistra Flying, and in Michael Powell's film Peeping Tom.
In 2012, the pub held a mediation meeting with Westminster City Council to address customer congestion on the pavement outside. The landlady's joke suggestion to serve drinks more slowly was taken at face value by the council, who agreed that serving staff should ensure that each transaction was complete before starting a new one, as part of an agreement to the pub retaining its licence.[3][4]
In 2017 the pub closed, and it was reopened by Truman's Brewery in 2018,[5] the first pub that Truman's had opened since being re-founded in 2010. The menu reflects the food offering of previous landlord, Tracey Bird, with a focus on pies.
The building has an unofficial blue plaque in honour of the former landlord: "Joe Jenkins, ex-proprietor, poet, bon viveur and Old Git, regularly swore at everybody on these premises".[2] A prostitute in historical costume is painted onto a bricked-over upstairs window in reference to the building's history as a brothel.[2]
References
- Maschler, Fay. "Fay Maschler reviews the Newman Arms: A Cornish call to arms". Evening Standard. Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- Rustin, Susanna (7 August 2012). "Walking tour of London's literary pubs". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- Frith, Maxine (5 October 2012). "Pub where staff are told to serve slowly – by order of the council". Evening Standard. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- "Westminster Council licence review on Duke of York pub is "warning shot" to licensees". The Publican's Morning Advertiser, Adam Pescod, 18 October 2012.
- "Truman's Brewery reopens Orwell's 'proles pub' The Newman Arms - Imbibe". Imbibe. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
