‘London’s oldest Irish pub’ to reopen

After shutting during the Covid-19 pandemic, The Tipperary on Fleet Street is expected to reopen as a pub, with the process of acquiring a new premises licence underway.

The Tipperary has come a long way since its supposed foundation in 1605, though it was not really an ‘Irish pub’ as such until JG Mooney and Co purchased the building that was then known as The Boar’s Head in the late 1800s, making its claim to be ‘London’s oldest Irish pub’ somewhat contentious. The building itself would later be Grade II listed.

Owned by Greene King from the 1980s, The Tipperary came under private ownership around a decade prior to the pandemic, when, in December 2020, it had to shut as a consequence of the brutal trading conditions hospitality businesses faced. In 2022 it was issued with a notice of possession, sparking grave concerns for its future.

However, it appears that The Tipperary is about to make its comeback, more than three years after it closed its doors.

News of the plans to resurrect the pub were shared on social media by Saving London Pubs (@PubsSaving).

According to a thread from Saving London Pubs on X, the first stage will be the reopening of the ground floor space, with two snugs either side of the main bar. Plans for the pub show another bar on the first floor, a kitchen and toilets on the second floor, as well as a lower ground floor cellar and ‘public space’.

It is also clear that some repair work to both the pub’s exterior and interior decor is required – in 2021, someone made an attempt to steal the historic mirrors, one of which is promoting Irish whiskey (spelt ‘whisky’, due to its age), resulting in it becoming cracked.

The Tipperary’s application for a new premises licence, issued by a company called Dominus Fleet Street Limited on 15 January this year, is on display in the old pub’s window. If granted, the licence will permit The Tipperary to serve alcohol from 11am to midnight from Monday to Saturday, and midday to 10.30pm on Sundays.

Dominus Fleet Street Limited was incorporated on 12 January 2023 and is actually headquartered in Reading (though on London Street), according to Companies House.

A reopening date is yet to be confirmed, though the City of London’s public notice states that “any person wishing to make a representation in relation to this application must give notice in writing to the licensing authority at the address shown above, or by email giving in detail the grounds of objection by 12 February 2024.”