McGlynn's Free House, the King's Cross pub, is being restored by artist Peter Doig
The Irish backstreet pub on Whidbourne Street closed after its landlord died in 2023. Now painter Peter Doig is restoring it, keeping the name.
A King's Cross pub with a loyal following, a carpet and a cat is getting a second act. McGlynn's Free House in Whidbourne Street, shut since 2023, is being brought back to life with a top to toe refurbishment, according to the Ham & High and the Islington Gazette.
Who is behind it
The new owner is the painter Peter Doig, who is famous for landscapes. He is acting through his company, Tramps International Ltd. Doig is said to have bought the backstreet pub in April 2025 for £3.15m with his gallerist partner, Parinaz Mogadassi.
The pub was run from the 1990s by Gerry Dolan, who was known for a good pint of cask ale as much as the carpet and the cat. Dolan once described McGlynn's regulars as "tourists, locals, builders and businessmen". He died suddenly in August 2023, and the pub closed.
What is changing
A series of planning applications has gone in for listed building consent. The aim, according to the plans, is to preserve the historic building while making it more viable as a public house. That includes redesigning the bar and adapting the cellar for toilets.
Consent for full restoration of the historic shopfront was granted in April 2026, and work is currently underway.
The pub is Grade II listed and sits in the Bloomsbury Conservation Area. On the ground floor it has a bar and a dining room, with staff accommodation above.
The awnings
The latest application, made to Camden Council, proposes four retractable canvas awnings outside the building as part of the ongoing restoration.
Trevor Horne Architects, in a design heritage statement, said the awnings would give shelter for outdoor seating. They would also create a more active street presence and help boost the pub's trading capacity.
The black canvas awnings have been designed to comply with Camden planning guidance, the architects said. They would be made by a specialist heritage supplier, be retractable, and be concealed within a hardwood blind box.
"Proposed materials will be robust, high quality and in-keeping with the traditional character of the shopfront, in a black colour scheme to match the existing frontage," the architects wrote. They added: "The awnings will incorporate printed lettering to replicate the existing painted signage."
The statement calls the proposal a "high-quality, low-impact intervention that will respect the historic significance of the shopfront while ensuring the pub can continue to function as a viable community asset in the long term".
The name stays
The building was originally The Duke of Wellington. It became McGlynn's when it was bought by Irish owners. According to the plans, Doig intends to keep the Irish name, and the awning lettering would read McGlynn's Free House.
For anyone who remembers the old place, that is the reassuring detail. The shopfront is being restored rather than replaced, the signage is being copied from what is already there, and the name that locals know is staying put.
No reopening date has been announced in the reporting so far, and the awnings still need Camden's decision.
Know before you go
- Where: McGlynn's Free House, Whidbourne Street, King's Cross, London
- Status: closed while restoration work is underway
Sources: Ham & High, Islington Gazette