Victorian Tavern and Gin Parlour

Inspired by the story of Phileas Fogg and his great aunt Gertrude, Foggs Tavern is an eccentric old English tavern and gin parlour where guests are transported back to Victorian London. The challenge for us on this project was recreating a traditional Victorian pub set in the right time frame that showed the Victorians indulgence in ornaments. Our role in this project was to work with the concept that the Inception Group had created and bring it to life focussing on the specialist decorative installations such as the fake beamed ceiling, brick slip walls and hand guilded glass signage above the door, before procuring enough antiquities from our extensive pool of contacts in the antiques world, to give the space a sense of theatre.

Case Study: Mr Fogg’s Tavern

The ground floor tavern features a warm wooden interior with 19^th century artefacts adorning the walls and hanging from the ceiling, a focal point being a large aviary filled with plants, stuffed birds and other oddities in an authentic Victorian style. Then there are customised pieces such as an antique junk rigged model boat and cannon firing a union jack that are all hung from the ceiling. In true Victorian style even the Chinese fish bowls basins in the bathrooms reflect the introduction of Asian influences of the time.

Looking towards the entrance where you can see the fake beamed ceiling.

Large aviary filled with plants, stuffed birds and other oddities in an authentic Victorian style.

The gin parlour upstairs features William Morris wall papers and is adorned with pictures, plates and decoration that reflects the theatrical character of Aunt Gertrude in the story.

We had all of the furniture specially made to fit as well as antiquifying the service lift shaft behind the bar, ensuring that no part of the design was left untouched.