Mr Turner’s Bar opens in The Porterhouse
The Porterhouse pub in central London has launched the ‘Mr Turner’s Bar’ in partnership with The Covent Gardener magazine to celebrate the site being the birthplace of artist JMW Turner.
The new bar sits within The Porterhouse building that reached its 25th Anniversary recently and still looks as impressive as when I first visited the pub on its opening. It was a serious investment to convert the building into a pub and it has proven to be a Covent Garden landmark.
Mr Turner’s Bar adds to its allure by recognising Britain’s greatest painter of light and the opening ceremony was hosted by Myra Hughes, manager of The Porterhouse, along with Jeannine Saba, editor of The Covent Gardener, who unveiled a plaque to celebrate the event.
The magazine also held an art competition with entrants invited to capture the energy and atmosphere of Covent Garden, with the 20 finalists judged by a panel including Pieter van der Merwe, chairman of the Turner Society, and legendary photographer Clive Boursnell.
The winner, Gail Seres Woolfson, receives a year’s supply of Mr Turner’s Porter, which is brewed by Sambrook’s Brewery in West London and was available on the night of the Mr Turner’s Bar opening. If there are no supplies available when you visit then I recommend The Porterhouse Plain Porter.
Glynn Davis, editor, Beer Insider