Historic London Pub Reopens After £1m Greene King Investment

Historic London pub, the Albert, located on Victoria St, has reopened following a £1m investment from Greene King.

The investment has transformed the exterior and interior of the Albert whilst retaining its historic Victorian charm, elevating the well-known pub into a flagship site within the pub and brewer’s Greene King pubs portfolio.

Jodie Tate, Chief Operating Officer for Greene King, said: “The Albert has always been an important part of Greene King pubs and its location in the heart of Victoria makes it a go-to pub for those travelling in and out of Westminster.

“This £1m investment has enabled us to elevate this historically-significant site – which has stood proud on Victoria St since 1862 and retains its House of Commons Division Bell, which would call MPs back to the Palace of Westminster – into one of the jewels in our crown.

“We’ve retained the charm of the Albert, preserving a slice of Victoriana amongst the skyscrapers, whilst transforming it for the modern-day guest, whether they’re visiting for drinks, dinner, business meetings or to enjoy live sport.”

The investment brings a complete interior and exterior overhaul to the Albert, including a stunning external refurbishment, which takes the pub back to its roots with new signage, brickwork and detailing.

Inside, storytelling has been brought to life throughout the pub, with a re-designed space for the Albert’s famous portrait gallery of past politicians and royal memorabilia. New seating has been added, the bar areas improved, alongside the kitchens, and accessibility throughout the pub has been redesigned to improve customer flow and an accessible toilet has been added.

The second floor of the Albert has been redesigned, moving it away from an event space and creating an extension of the downstairs pub area and more space for customers to meet, eat, drink and relax.

The Albert is a former gin palace and dates back to 1862. It was one of a select few non-Governmental buildings to house a telegraph-wired division bell, which signalled to MPs in the pub that they have exactly eight minutes to return to Westminster to cast their votes. The pub also houses the Prime Minister’s Gallery; a collection of portraits and photographs honouring past British leaders – many of whom were customers at the iconic pub.

The Albert is now open at 52 Victoria St, London, SW1H 0NP. For more information, visit https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/albert.

Notes to editors

Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer trading c2,500 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.

At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose of ‘We Pour Happiness into Lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 38,000 people across the group and operate three business areas including Managed Pubs, Pub Partners and Brewing & Brands.

• Managed Pubs: Our Managed Pubs bring together our best-known pub and restaurant brands nationwide, including Greene King pubs, Hungry Horse, Chef & Brewer, Farmhouse Inns and Flaming Grill. We offer great service, quality and value for a wide range of eating and drinking occasions. Ventures includes Hickory’s, Premium (Crafted Pubs & Metropolitan Pub Company) and Hotels, which operate independently of Greene King’s managed pub brands.

• Pub Partners: Pub Partners runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive and Nest franchise pubs. These options combine entrepreneurial independence with practical support, enabling partners to run successful local businesses within a market‑leading estate. We have c.1,000 leased, tenanted and franchise pubs.

• Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Hazy Day, brewed for the modern-day drinker.

Find more information on our website: corporate.greeneking.co.uk

For further information please contact Greene King Press Office via pressoffice@greeneking.co.uk.

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