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Fitzroy Tavern
Fitzroy Tavern - Fitzrovia - W1.jpg
Fitzroy Tavern in 2009
General information
Type Public house
Address 16 Charlotte Street
Town or city London
Country England
Coordinates 51°31′07″N 0°08′05″W / 51.5186°N 0.1347°W / 51.5186; -0.1347

The Fitzroy Tavern is a famous building in central London, England. It is located on Charlotte Street in an area called Fitzrovia. This historic building is owned by the Samuel Smith Brewery.

The Fitzroy Tavern became very well-known between the 1920s and the mid-1950s. During this time, it was a popular meeting spot for many of London's artists, intellectuals, and creative people. Famous visitors included Jacob Epstein, Nina Hamnett, Dylan Thomas, Augustus John, and George Orwell.

The pub gets its name from the Fitzroy family. This family, the Dukes of Grafton, used to own much of the land where Fitzrovia is now built.

A Look Back: The Fitzroy Tavern's History

From Coffee House to Famous Pub

The building that is now the Fitzroy Tavern was first built in 1883. Back then, it was a coffee house called the Fitzroy Coffee House. In 1887, it was changed into a pub by W. M. Brutton. At first, the pub was called "The Hundred Marks."

In the early 1900s, Judah Morris Kleinfeld took over the pub. In March 1919, he decided to give it a new name: the "Fitzroy Tavern."

A Family's Legacy at the Tavern

After Judah Morris Kleinfeld, his daughter and her husband, Charles Allchild, ran the pub. They continued to manage it through the 1950s.

Charles Allchild's granddaughter, Sally Fiber, grew up helping behind the bar. Later, she wrote a book about the pub's history. It was called "The Fitzroy: The Autobiography of a London Tavern." You can even see old photographs on the walls inside the pub. These pictures show famous people like Michael Bentine and Dylan Thomas enjoying their time there.

FitzroyTavernWartimeSign
Wartime notice on the wall of the Fitzroy Tavern

A Hub for Artists and Thinkers

Who Were the Fitzroy's Famous Guests?

The Fitzroy Tavern was a special place for many creative people. These included artists, writers, and thinkers. They were often called "bohemians." This term describes people who live in an unconventional way, often focusing on art and culture.

Many well-known figures gathered at the Fitzroy. They would meet to talk, share ideas, and socialize. This made the pub a very important part of London's artistic scene for many years.

What Happens at the Fitzroy Today?

Laughter at the Comedy Club

Since the year 2000, the Fitzroy Tavern has been home to the Pear Shaped Comedy Club. This club holds comedy shows every Wednesday. You can find the shows in the downstairs bar area. It continues the pub's tradition of being a place for entertainment and gathering.

Restoring a Classic: The Pub's Award-Winning Look

In 2018, the Fitzroy Tavern received a special award. It was given a pub design award by CAMRA. This award was for the pub's refurbishment, which happened in 2015.

The goal of the refurbishment was to bring back the pub's original Victorian look. Workers installed shiny mahogany partitions. These had special acid-etched glass. This helped to recreate the small, private seating areas called "snugs." Outside, new wrought-iron pub signs were put up. These signs matched the original ones from the past. The careful restoration helped the Fitzroy Tavern keep its historic charm.

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