The Hart Marylebone marks the next chapter in London’s design-led pubs

The beleaguered UK pub trade does have one success story to raise a glass to: Public House, the group founded by childhood friends James Gummer and Phil Winser in 2022. Together with hospitality veteran Olivier van Themsche, the trio have been quietly transforming London’s smartest neighbourhoods into truly local haunts, guided by their belief that a well-curated pub forms the bedrock of the British community.

First came The Pelican in Westbourne Park, followed by The Hero in Maida Vale and The Fat Badger on Golborne Road. Now, they’ve made the move from west London to the West End with their first central opening: The Hart in Marylebone.

Wallpaper* dines at The Hart, London

The mood: naff-free nostalgia

Named after the Hart family, landlords in the 1840s, the pub leans into its history with a dose of nostalgia that never slips into pastiche. Winser heads up the Public House Studio, collaborating with lead designer Leticia Blakiston Houston to create interiors that feel timeless yet fresh.

‘For us, pubs are the original members’ clubs, without the membership,’ Winser says. ‘Even though it’s the same food and drink throughout the building, we wanted the patrons to be able to use The Hart in different ways depending on the occasion.’

Expect a proper boozer on the ground floor, where snacks are enjoyed on stools or in intimate booths framed by original stained-glass windows. Upstairs, the second and third-floor dining rooms take a more formal turn, with hand-aged panelling, scalloped banquettes and glowing gas fires. Throughout, there’s bespoke joinery by Philip Clay, custom lighting from Fosbery Studio, and window treatments designed by Daniel Gabriel.

‘As with our food philosophy,’ Winser says, ‘we try and source all our products within the UK, championing British designers and materials, from the lime plaster on the walls to the reclaimed wood panelling. We strip everything back to its core, focusing on sourcing quality products used in a simple way.’

The food: seasonal simplicity and serious sourcing

Gummer and Winser grew up in Oxfordshire near their Cotswolds pub The Bull at Charlbury, where they’ve pioneered a new form of pub grub using produce grown following regenerative principles at their Bruern Farm market garden up the road.

They’ve applied the same farm-to-table ethos at The Hart, with meat supplied by Public Houses’ butchery programme in the Cotswolds, from bar snacks such as chicken liver toast and pork pies, to full-size dishes of steak and potatoes and lamb chops with beans.

The sense of transparency extends to the open kitchen, too. ‘We put the kitchen in the heart of the building on the first floor,’ Winser explains, ‘to make it a more enjoyable working space for the chefs and a special experience for guests as they wander up to the dining room on the second floor.’

Not all the cooking is so hearty – there are soups and salads for office lunches – but it is all British and seasonal. Ditto the beers, which include Portobello London Pilsner and Allsopp’s IPA, though the snappy wine list looks more to France and Italy.

The Hart is located at 56 Blandford St, London W1U 7JA, United Kingdom.