Barworks founder Marc Francis-Baum is to reopen the historic former Peasant pub in Clerkenwell as George & Dragon this September.
Located at 240 St John Street, the Grade II-listed building will reopen as a 110-cover venue spanning two floors, combining a neighbourhood pub on the ground floor with Tom Brown and Brad Carter’s Island restaurant above.
The building was originally known as The George and Dragon and was rebuilt and enlarged around 1889–90 to designs by H J Newton on the site of an earlier pub of the same name. It later traded as The Peasant before closing.
Historic England lists the property at Grade II and highlights features including its red brick and terracotta exterior, Victorian pub frontage, central curved bar, decorative tiled panels and mosaic flooring depicting St George slaying the dragon.
Barworks acquired the lease earlier this year and has been carrying out renovation work ahead of the September reopening. The George & Dragon’s own website now lists the venue as “opening soon” and describes it as a Clerkenwell public house dating from 1889.
The ground floor will operate as a relaxed pub serving elevated pub dishes alongside a curated drinks offer.
Upstairs, the 60-cover Island will provide a more restaurant-led experience under chefs Tom Brown and Brad Carter.
Island originally opened at Mare Street Market King’s Cross in June 2025, bringing together Brown’s seafood expertise and Carter’s focus on meat and nose-to-tail cooking.
The restaurant has since been included in the Michelin Guide, which highlights the chefs’ combination of meat and seafood through its surf-and-turf format.
Its move to Clerkenwell will establish Island in a permanent 60-cover first-floor restaurant within George & Dragon.
The menu will continue to draw on British produce and the chefs’ travels, combining wild day-boat seafood with rare-breed meats sourced from suppliers including Paddock Farm, Txuleta Meat, Flying Fish and Shrub Provisions.
Island’s original King’s Cross menu was similarly developed around day-boat fish and shellfish alongside British meat, with dishes designed to combine elements of surf and turf.
The opening represents the latest chapter for Barworks, which Francis-Baum founded in 1995 with Two Floors in Soho.
The group currently operates Two Floors, The Starman in Mayfair and Mare Street Market locations in Hackney and King’s Cross. Barworks says its approach is to give each venue an individual identity shaped by its building and neighbourhood rather than applying a standardised format.
Francis-Baum previously grew Barworks to a portfolio of 23 neighbourhood venues and co-founded Camden Town Brewery in 2010.
At George & Dragon, he is overseeing an interior scheme intended to retain and restore elements of the Victorian building while introducing commissioned artwork and a contemporary hospitality offer.
The historic mosaic flooring will be retained as part of that approach.
Marc Francis-Baum, Founder of Barworks, said: “Pubs have been at the heart of my working life for more than 30 years, so taking on a building with the history and character of George & Dragon feels incredibly special.
“Barworks began with one Soho bar in 1995 and grew from our belief that every venue should have its own identity, feel part of its neighbourhood and give people a genuine reason to return.
“George & Dragon brings together that experience with everything we have learned through Mare Street Market about creating space for talented people.
“When we invited Tom and Brad to develop Island at King’s Cross, the goal was to give two world-class chefs a platform to explore their ideas and connect with people.
“Seeing Island evolve into a permanent restaurant above a proper London pub feels like a natural next chapter.
“We want to preserve the soul of this historic building while creating a great local for Clerkenwell: a relaxed neighbourhood pub downstairs and a special restaurant upstairs.”
George & Dragon is currently recruiting for both front and back-of-house positions ahead of opening, with Barworks describing the project as the restoration and reopening of one of Clerkenwell’s historic pubs.
The exact September opening date, menus and reservations are due to be announced shortly.
Associated Articles
EMBER at The Chandlers Arms to Bring Live-Fire Cooking and Craft Beer to the Cotswolds
Provides direct pub-and-restaurant context, with another historic pub developing a stronger food-led identity through a chef-driven concept while retaining its role as a neighbourhood drinking venue.
EMBER at The Chandlers Arms to Bring Live-Fire Cooking and Craft Beer to the Cotswolds
Our Yummy Collection Celebrates 20 Years and Reveals New Hoste Identity
Adds relevant independent pub group context, with the operator behind The Victoria and The Somers Town Coffee House evolving its portfolio while preparing another pub opening, The Tallyman, for September.
Our Yummy Collection Celebrates 20 Years and Reveals New Hoste Identity
NAKIMUSHI to Open Japanese Townhouse Restaurant in Notting Hill
Provides closely related multi-level London restaurant context, with another September opening combining two distinct dining experiences across a historic townhouse.
NAKIMUSHI to Open Japanese Townhouse Restaurant in Notting Hill
