Landlord set to breathe new fire into dragon pub
Work has been ongoing this Summer to reopen the ‘George and Dragon’
Friday, 4th September — By Finn Logue
Marc Francis Burn at what will be the George & Dragon public house
A HISTORIC Clerkenwell pub that has been empty for three years will reopen this month under new management.
Work has been ongoing this Summer to reopen the “George and Dragon”, formerly the Peasant Pub, in St John’s Street.
The Peasant was opened as one of London’s first Gastropubs in the 1990s.
It was closed for refurbishment indefinitely in 2023 and was then taken over by squatters, before being repossessed following a court order in April 2024.
The lease will now be taken over by gastro-pub chain “Barworks”, who run upmarket pubs and bars in King’s Cross, Mayfair and Hackney.
Barworks founder, Marc Francis-Burn, said that he wanted to “preserve the soul” of the Grade II-listed building, adding: “Pubs have been at the heart of my working life for more than 30 years, so taking on a building with the history and character of George & Dragon feels incredibly special.
“We wanted to create a great local for Clerkenwell. Barworks began with one Soho bar in 1995 and grew from our belief that every venue should have its own identity, feel part of its neighbourhood and give people a genuine reason to return.”
Above the pub, Michelin-starred restaurant Island will serve food, after closing their King’s-Cross-based restaurant in August.
The pub, which is due to open on September 16, will be the second historic venue to reopen its doors in the space of a month, after Holloway-Road-based Coronet begun pouring pints again in August.
