The former Intrepid Fox premises in Wardour Street

The Intrepid Fox was a pub at 97–99 Wardour Street, Soho, London, established in 1784 by the publican Samuel House, who named it after the prominent British Whig statesman Charles James Fox.[1] The pub was located on the corner of Wardour Street and Peter Street.

During the general election of 1784, House provided free drink to the public.[2]

More recently, it was a goth pub which also hosted heavy metal gigs.[3] It closed in 2006, when the owner Mitchells & Butlers sold the building to property developers.[1][4]

It was here that Darryll McConnell approached Shell-Shock mastermind Rafe Chiles at the pool table with a view to securing support slots for his band. It is rumoured that Mick Jagger poached a young Ronnie Wood from Rod Stewart’s band in a corner of the pub.

The Wardour Street building it formerly occupied is clad in faience, including a faience relief of Charles James Fox.[5] As of 2017, the premises were in use as a branch of the Byron hamburger chain.

Successor venues

Later in 2006, the former Intrepid Fox management team opened a new venue of the same name, near Centre Point.[6] The Guardian reported the new venue's imminent closure in 2014.[3]

Following the closure of this venue, a third incarnation of the Intrepid Fox was opened at the Archway Tavern later in 2014.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b Majumdar, Debabani (11 September 2006). "Goth pub closes after 222 years". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Sam House, The Patriotic Publican / Fifty Wonderful Portraits". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  3. ^ a b Boult, Adam (27 February 2014). "London metal venue The Intrepid Fox announces imminent closure". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  4. ^ Razaq, Rashid (1 September 2006). "Last orders at Soho rock pub". Evening Standard. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  5. ^ "Conservation Audit: Soho & Chinatown: Document ID No. 2471" (PDF). Department of Planning and City Development, City of Westminster Council.
  6. ^ "Intrepid Fox pub, 97–99 Wardour Street, Soho, London, W1F 0UD". www.urban75.org. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  7. ^ Dean, Jon. "Rock pub where the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart and Slash drank and David Hasselhoff was turned away moves to Archway". Islington Gazette. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.

External links

External image
image icon Photograph of The Intrepid Fox in 1911

51°30′46.32″N 0°8′1.5″W / 51.5128667°N 0.133750°W / 51.5128667; -0.133750


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