Fuller's buys the Lamb & Flag in Covent Garden

Fuller's has bought the Lamb & Flag in Covent Garden for an undisclosed sum, bringing its pub portfolio to 362.

The deal with Devonshire Leisure gives Fuller's a three-year lease with an option to acquire the freehold. The 17th century Grade II-listed pub lays claim to having had Charles Dickens as a former patron. The upstairs bar is named after the poet John Dryden, another former patron.

Simon Emeny, group managing director of Fuller's, said: "The Lamb & Flag is one of London's best known pubs, but for anyone who comes across it for the first time, they feel like they've stumbled upon a hidden piece of history. It's a terrific reminder of how a great pub can stand the test of time.

"Covent Garden and the West End are areas in which I feel we have previously been under-represented, but with the Roundhouse on Garrick Street, and now the Lamb & Flag less than a stone's throw away, that is no longer the case. I am incredibly proud to add this pub to our estate."

The Lamb & Flag is the fifth pub to be added to the Fuller's estate this year and will operate within the managed estate.

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By Neil Gerrard

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