The Drayton Court is a boutique hotel and one of the oldest

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s in

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was histor ...

, west

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The former Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman,

Hồ Chí Minh (: ; born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), commonly known as ('Uncle Hồ'), also known as ('President Hồ'), ('Father of the Nation, Old father of the people') and by other Pseudonym, aliases, was a Vietnamese people, Vietnam ...

, worked in the kitchens in 1914.

History

The pub was conceived as a family and residential hotel, and the plans were drawn in 1893 by the Stephens Brothers. The pub opened in 1894, making it one of the oldest pubs in Ealing. It contained four floors and sixty rooms; behind the hotel were ornamental gardens, tennis courts, a bowling green and skittle courts. It initially charged 25 shillings per week for residents.

, the former Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman, worked in the kitchens of the Drayton Court Hotel in 1914. The building remained a hotel until the 1940s, when it became one of the area's largest pubs, an off Licence was granted for the sale of beers and spirits to be consumed off the premises. Delivery to local customers was by bike with a large wicker basket over a small front wheel. It is in possession of a

fringe theatre Fringe theatre is theatre that is produced outside of the main theatre institutions, and that is often small-scale and non-traditional in style or subject matter. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.Kemp, Robert, ''More that is Fre ...

. At this time the pub had the largest

beer garden A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...

in London (and indeed, the largest of any city in the UK). In Spring 2011, the pub was refurbished and renovated into being a fully equipped 4 star hotel. The Drayton Court Hotel is now a popular place for tourists and business trips alike as well as often hosting wedding parties in its boutique rooms and suites. It is owned by

Fullers Brewery Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick in the west of London was a family-run business from its foundation in 1845 until 2019. In that year, the brewing division of Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC was sold to the Japanese international beverage giant Asahi. J ...

Media

The pub has been seen on screen on several occasions, including in the film ''

Carry On Constable ''Carry On Constable'' is a 1960 British comedy film, the fourth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It was released in February 1960. Of the regular team, it featured Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan ...

'' and, along with the vintage shop-fronts immediately adjacent, in the final "classic era" ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' serial, 1989's ''

Survival Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...

''.Doctor Who locations guide - The Avenue, West Ealing
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References

External links

Drayton Court official site

The ''Doctor Who'' Locations Guide - The Avenue, West Ealing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drayton Court 1894 establishments in England Hotels in London Ho Chi Minh Pubs in the London Borough of Ealing