There has been a pub on this site, on the corner of Great Peter Street and Perkins Rents, since at least 1729. It was originally called “The Castle”, and was demolished in 1794/5 and rebuilt on the same site, renamed as “The Elephant and Castle”. Originally at No 12, street re-numbering made it No 17 in the first half of the nineteenth century, and a further re-numbering towards the end of the century made it No 46. It was re-named “The Speaker” in 1999. *
Westminster St John index
Historical London public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels.
Speaker, 45 Great Peter Street - in October 2006
Kindly provided by Stephen Harris
Speaker, 45 Great Peter Street - in October 2014
Kindly provided by John Carnaby
Residents at this address.
1809/John Jenkins, Elephant and Castle, Peter street, Westminster/../../Holdens Directory
1833-34/George Evett, Elephant & Castle, 17 Great Peter Street,
Westminster/../../Pigots Directory
1848/Patrick Fitzgibbon/../../../Post Office Directory
1851/P Fitzgibbon/../../../Kellys Directory
February 1855/Patrick Fitzgibbon/ Outgoing Licensee /../../The Era
February 1855/Thomas Lloyd/ Incoming Licensee /../../The Era
1856/Thomas Lloyd/../../../Post Office Directory
26th Jan 1858 / License transfer from T. Lloyd to M. Smith /../../../ The
Era *
31st May 1859 / License transfer from Michael Smith to Abbott Smith
/../../../ The Era *
28th May 1861 / License transfer from Abbott Smith (decd.) to Ann Smith
/../../../ The Era *
28th Jan 1862 / License transfer from Ann Higgins (late Smith) to John
Higgins /../../../ The Era *
12th May 1863 / License transfer from John Higgins to Robert Ball /../../../
The Era *
10th May 1864 / License transfer from Robert Ball to Charles Crocker
/../../../ The Era *
8th Nov 1864 / License transfer from Charles Crocker to George Wilke
/../../../ The Era *
3rd Nov 1868 / License transfer from George Wilks to John Burgess /../../../
The Era *
1869/Geo Wilks/../../../Post Office Directory
23rd Apr 1872 / License transfer from John Burgess to Walter Rowland
/../../../ The Era *
1881/William Neave/Licensed Victualler/34/Oakley, Suffolk/Census
1881/Kate Neave/Wife/21/Yeovil, Somerset/Census
1881/Robert Neave/Cousin, Barman/20/Bow, Middlesex/Census
1882/William Neave/../../../Post Office Directory
1891/Richard Furness/../../../Post Office Directory
1895/Henry James Hurst/../../../Post Office Directory
1899/Alfred Wilkinson/../../../Post Office Directory
1915/William Arthur Atkins/../../../Post Office Directory
1938/George Lane/../../../Post Office Directory
1944/Frank Walter Cavanagh/../../../Post Office Directory
The list of licensees for the Speaker were : ***.
Dennis Reed operated here from 2004 to 2016 and since then myself, Thomas Harland.
Prior to Dennis there was a lady.
* Provided By John Hills
** Provided By Stephen Harris
*** Provided By Thomas Harland