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
28 July 1841, Will of Henry Spence, Proprietor, Licensed Victualler of Elephant and Castle Great Peter Street Westminster , Middlesex - National Archives, Kew
1842/H Spencer, Elephant & Castle, 17 Great Peter Street, Westminster/../../Robsons 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 *
1862/J Higgins, Elephant & Castle, 17 Great Peter street SW/../../Post Office Directory
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
1901/William A Atkins/Licensed Victualler/33/Birmingham, Warwickshire/Census
1901/Sarah Atkins/Wife/34/Middlesex/Census
1901/Edith A Atkins/Daughter/9/London/Census
1901/Gladys M Atkins/Daughter/7/London/Census
1901/Annie Thundall/Servant/24/Hertfordshire/Census
1901/Alice Hosegood/Servant/20/London/Census
1901/William A Atkins/Son/1/London/Census
1901/Edward Holloway/Barman/21/Carshalton, Surrey/Census
1901/Frank Booker/Barman/21/Fittleworth, Sussex/Census
1910/William Arthur Atkins, Elephant & Castle, 46 Great Peter street SW
1911/William Arthur Atkins/Licensed Victualler/44/Birmingham/Census
1911/Sarah Atkins/Wife/44/Alperton, Middlesex/Census
1911/Edith Annie Atkins/Daughter, Assistant/19/Holloway, London/Census
1911/Gladys May Atkins/Daughter/16/Holloway, London/Census
1911/Harry Haynes Atkins/Son/2/Westminster/Census
1911/Thomas William Parkham/Barman/21/Southwark/Census
1911/Harry George Charlish/Barman/25/Lambeth, London/Census
1911/Ada Reynolds/Cook/40/Wigsthorpe, Northampton/Census
1915/William Arthur Atkins/../../../Post Office Directory
1921/Elephant & Castle (Huxley & Davis) 46 Great Peter street, Westminster SW.../../../Hughes Directory
1938/George Lane/../../../Post Office Directory
In 1939 electoral register at 46 Great Peter street are
George Lane, Licensed Victualler, born 5 Feb 1903
Ivy M Lane, Unpaid Domestic Duties, born 28 Sep 1908
Elizabeth Bramble, Cook, Widow, born 14 Oct 1873
Alfred G Natt, barman, born 9 Dec 1914
1942/George Lane, Elephant & Castle, 46 Great Peter street/../../Post Office Directory
1944/Frank Walter Cavanagh/../../../Post Office Directory
My father was the Licensee, his name was Rupert Finch. My parents ran the pub from 1955 until my father's death , they left there in the summer of 1966. *+
1971/Elephant & Castle, 46 Great Peter street SW1/../../Pub 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.
2018/The Speaker Public House, 46 Great Peter Street, London, SW1P 2HA - Westminster
* Provided By John Hills
*+ Provided By Judy Yebernetsky
** Provided By Stephen Harris
*** Provided By Thomas Harland