An ornate Victorian pub on St Martin's Lane. This watercolour captures The Salisbury's richly decorated entrance at the corner of St Martin's Lane and St Martin's Court, with its carved mahogany panelling, etched and polished glass, bronze nymphs holding flower-shaped lamps, and the Cecil family coat of arms supported by two angels above the door.
The pub was built in 1899 as part of a six-storey block, replacing an earlier establishment known variously as the Coach and Horses and Ben Caunt's Head, named after a famous bare-knuckle fighter. Originally called the Salisbury Stores, it opened as a gin palace in 1892, with the 'SS' monogram still visible in some of the glasswork.
The building is Grade II listed and its interior is on CAMRA's National Inventory as an historic pub interior of national importance, recognised for the quality of its etched glass and carved woodwork. The pub is named after Lord Salisbury, the British Prime Minister who served three terms between 1885 and 1902, and the Cecil family still owns the freehold.
The Salisbury became well known as a gay-friendly pub from Oscar Wilde's time until the mid-1980s, and was featured in the 1961 film Victim, the first English-language film to use the word "homosexual." Today it remains a popular destination for theatre-goers and visitors to Covent Garden.
Interesting facts...
The pub was the site of a notorious 1979 incident when serial killer Dennis Nilsen attempted to murder Andrew Ho, a student he had met there.
It also hay an air of Hoywood about it. Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh were regular visitors during their affair, often seen walking up the magnificent staircase to the private rooms on the first floor.
Liz Taylor's second engagement to Richard Burton is said to have taken place here. The pub was a haunt for actors including Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, Richard Harris, Oliver Reed, Terence Stamp, Albert Finney, Michael Caine, and Roger Moore. The 1961 film Victim, which used the pub as a location, was groundbreaking for its portrayal of homosexuality in British cinema. The pub has been a gay-friendly venue since Oscar Wilde's era, making it one of London's longest-standing LGBTQ+ spaces. The original pub on this site dates back to 1694, with the five floors above once serving as a coaching inn for travellers.
The name 'Salisbury' honours the Third Marquis of Salisbury, said to be Queen Victoria's favourite Prime Minister.
Location: 91–93 St Martin's Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2N 4AP
