Soho’s French House calls on friends, fans and family 'from royalty to rascals' to ensure its future

A campaign to save Soho’s historic pub, the French House, has raised almost £30,000 since it launched last week.

The iconic bar and dining room on Soho's Dean Street hopes to raise £80,000, which will help it continue to pay rent and be in a position to reopen post-lockdown, with the promise of “some great parties” to come.

The French House, the “most iconic of Soho watering holes”, has become known over its 100-year-long history for its “no music, no machines, no television and no mobile phones rule”, attracting a creative, literary and often star-studded crowd, "from royalty to rascals", young and old, who have flocked to the “village pub” to soak up the atmosphere over drinks in the bar and food from a short and ever-changing handwritten menu.

A message posted on the pub’s website says: “In these difficult and uncertain times, and until life gets back to normal for us all, the French House is looking to its friends, its fans, and its family for help.

“The French means so much to all of us. It’s not just an important piece of Soho history, it’s a resource for an entire community as well as being amongst the last bastions of old Soho.”

For the past 30 years the Soho institution has been run by landlady Lesley Lewis and in October 2018 chef Neil Borthwick took up residency in the kitchen.

To make a donation visit Save The French House