The Silver Cross Tavern is a

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...

in London, England. It was first opened as a licensed pub in 1674. The building had been an establishment at that location since the 13th century. It has been argued to be the only theoretically legal (albeit non-operating)

brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...

in the country, on the grounds that a 17th-century royal licence on the building was never revoked.

History

The Silver Cross Tavern was first licensed and opened as a pub in 1674 as "The Garter" after having been a licensed

beforehand. It was initially owned by William Waad, son of politician Sir William Waad, who sold it to Joseph Craig in its first licensed year. Craig had also bought a number of buildings near the Silver Cross Tavern; however, the Silver Cross was not incorporated with the other buildings which became known as

Craig's Court Craig's Court is a courtyard off Whitehall in central London containing the Listed building, grade II* listed Harrington House (c.1692), other listed buildings, and the British Telecom Whitehall telephone exchange of which Harrington House form ...

. The pub was subsequently acquired by the Earls of Harrington. In 1861, it was leased from the Earl of Harrington by the Earl of St Vincent, being referred to as The Silver Cross. In the twentieth century, the pub was owned by TJ Bernard, who sold it to Taylor Walker Pubs. Because of its location near British government buildings and

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early-19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy, ...

, the pub is frequented by members of the

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

and tourists. In 1999, the BBC claimed that the Silver Cross Tavern was the only legal brothel in the United Kingdom, although not currently in operation as such, on the basis that a royal licence granted by Charles I was never revoked.

Building

A building on the site that was part of St Katherine's Hermitage was initially constructed in the thirteenth century with lead-lined walls. The tavern has undergone a number of rebuilds, with the last occurring in 1900. The pub has a wagon vaulted ceiling. Shortly after opening, the pub had a plaster ceiling installed in the bar area when King Charles I lived in Whitehall. In the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

, the building had a new façade built. It was subsequently renumbered as 37 Whitehall and is the red tiled façade building at the far right or west end of the structures from Craig's Court. In the 1990s, the pub was expanded into numbers 3335 which themselves had been combined by previous occupiers, the last after the pizza restaurant next door was closed and the pub took over the premises.

References

{{Coord, 51, 30, 23, N, 0, 07, 37, W, display=title 1674 establishments in England Brothels in the United Kingdom Prostitution in England Grade II listed pubs in the City of Westminster