When Thomas Rule served his first oyster to diners on Maiden Lane in London\u2019s Covent Garden, \u201cmad\u201d George III was on the throne of England, John Adams was US president and William Pitt the Younger had just come up with a wheeze called income tax to pay for the Napoleonic wars.<\/p>\n
More than two centuries later, Rules<\/a>, the restaurant Thomas founded in what became the capital\u2019s theatreland, has outlasted nine British monarchs and 45 prime ministers<\/a> \u2013 but has changed hands only three times. The interior of its four-storey home, stuffed with historic playbills and vintage caricatures and gilded antlers, is little changed from the 19th century, nor has the tone of its determinedly meaty menu \u2013 think rabbit rillettes, shin of veal and roast guinea fowl.<\/p>\n Established in 1798, Rules was once frequented by the likes of Charles Dickens, Laurence Olivier and Charlie Chaplin. Photograph: Jill Mead\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Rules was beloved by Dickens and Thackeray, inspired Graham Greene and was a favourite of Charlie Chaplin, Laurence Olivier and Ava Gardner. But even London\u2019s oldest restaurant can feel vulnerable to the winds of change, leading the man who bought Rules in 1984 to take perhaps the most significant step in its long history. JP Mayhew has now donated the restaurant\u2019s historic home to the National Trust<\/a>, assured that the heritage charity will \u201cprotect this place in a way that no one else could\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWith many years of hard work, and some extraordinary strokes of luck, Rules has survived everything from redevelopment plans and changing tastes to the blitz ,\u201d Mayhew said. By taking on the historic and listed 34-35 Maiden Lane<\/a>, he added , the National Trust would \u201c[safeguard] its bricks and mortar, its famous interior and its invisible atmosphere too. I am grateful to them for believing in this idea and for protecting this building and two centuries worth of stories for people to enjoy forever\u201d.<\/p>\n The interior of its four-storey home, stuffed with historic playbills and vintage caricatures and gilded antlers, is little changed from the 19th century. Photograph: Jill Mead\/The Guardian<\/p>\n The \u00a311m \u201clandmark\u201d gift is one of the most valuable in the National Trust\u2019s recent history, and will mark its first entry into the restaurant business \u2013 although its portfolio includes 39 historic pubs and a number of country house hotels, including Cliveden<\/a> in Buckinghamshire.<\/p>\n