A Bit of History

The Nell has the look and feel you would expect from a traditional English pub. Situated across the street form the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, it has long associations with London's literary and theatrical community.

Ideal for pre/post theatre drinks if visiting the Theatre Royal. An interval drinks ordering service is also provided.

The Nell of Old Drury is one of the oldest pubs in Covent Garden and has undergone a number of incarnations. An underground tunnel connects the pub and the Theatre Royal opposite which was allegedly used by Charles II when visiting Nell Gynne during the late 1600s.

The pub was originally called the Lamb but was re-named The Sir John Falstaff by the Victorians. During this period, pubs were often used as exhibition venues for what was considering exotic at the time. The Sir John Falstaff was host to such including a tattooed man from the South Seas and a Zulu warrior woman!

The present day Catherine Street is an amalgamation of what was Brydges Steet and Katherine Street. The pub's former address was 15 Brydges Street and was a regular for a number of the literary and theatrical figures over the centuries.

The pub was also a regular haunt of the market traders when the Covent Garden Fruit and Veg market was still in existence. It even made a cameo appearance in the Hitchcock movie 'Frenzy', which was set in the area.

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Function Room

Our function room is available free of charge which can hold up to 50 people. To book, contact us on function@nellofolddrury.com or ring us on 0207 836 5328 during opening hours. Check our calendar of events for availability.

Location

Whats On

Tickets to all of our events can be found at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/nell-of-old-drury-17436788053

Bubble and Squeak Comedy
OUR STORY: Bubble and Squeak started as a safe, cozy space for professional comedians to come and try out new ideas that might not be “weekend ready” just yet. Every week we pain-stakingly try to bring together an array of perspectives and voices, in a small, close-quarters, raw comedy experience. You get to see the comedians at their most vulnerable, and hear future TV gags before anyone else. After talking to a number of amazing acts who gig all across the country, the organizer decided that there was a real place for a safe, fun gig like this in London. Come and enjoy our little slice of fun every Tuesday and be a part of our quickly growing Bubble and Squeak comedy family!



Big Smoke Comedy
Eight stand-up comedians are invited to perform individually then, for one night only, improvise freely with each other as a unique, one-of-a kind ensemble. Meet the characters, watch them play, and help shape our acts with your warmth and laughter. Big Smoke Comedy currently offers Free Entry every Thursday at 8pm.
Host Brooke Hoerr hails from a small town of sixty-three people in the middle of the middle of the middle of America called Allentown, Illinois where, in 1983, he was voted eighth funniest child (of eight). Still not satisfied, he later became an improvisor in Chicago at Second City, iO Theatre, and The Annoyance.
Now Brooke can be seen at some of London's most popular comedy venues embarking upon his spiritual quest to fully understand British humour or absolutely try dying. He most recently won The Blackout competition at Up-The-Creek Comedy Club in Greenwich by recommending to the audience that for improved laughter, if anything he says is literally not funny, they simply should apply an interpretation that is ironic.
Brooke is very excited to be MC for Big Smoke Comedy at the historic Nell of Old Drury.



Rox Central
Every 3rd Monday of the month Bentley Browning hosts Rox Comedy where you can see pro's,semi pros's and newbies trying new material. An hour of top laughs for free donations. Bentley runs Comedy Novice tasters and courses at the Nell of Old Drury so you can start your own comedy career here too.Details at www.comedynovices.com , www.bentleybrowning.com




Hidden Theatre Company
The Hidden Theatre Company was founded by RCSSD alumni Drou Constantinou and Abby Restall in 2016. The company's ethos is to showcase hidden talent and work to be passionate about.

Since starting the company they have now produced 5 Scratched; An Evening of New Writing events, two comedy gigs, Christmas Belles (A Christmas Cabaret tour) and two full scale productions: Making Waves: A Song Cycle at Camden Fringe Festival in 2017 and Carner & Gregor's Island Song at The Nursery Theatre in Spring 2018 - both garnering 4 star reviews.

The Hidden Theatre Takeover is our latest project and we are delighted to be teaming up with The Nell to bring a variety of new writing to the heart of Covent Garden.

Each month will see a different takeover including open mic, play reading, comedy and monologues with a focus on developing the work - with the possibility of showcasing the work further at one of our larger events.

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