Homesick Perth Poms will have one less thing to whine about when a new “proper” British pub opens in the CBD next month.
Aptly named The Queen’s Arms, the new pub has taken over the vacant 1928 heritage-listed building at 16 Queen Street that was once home to The Flour Factory.
While it’s still very much a worksite, across its three levels will be two bars with more than 30 beer taps and multiple dining areas, including an elevated beer garden overlooking Raine Square and a quaint rooftop terrace.
There is also The Corgi Club, an upstairs area which brings together live music, wall-to-wall live sport, interactive darts and bottomless high tea.
Beverage-wise, drinkers can expect pints of British staples such as Tetley’s Old Speckled Hen, Tennent’s and London Pride alongside Aussie beers.
The menu will also celebrate the best of the Motherland’s pub classics, including fish and chips, steak and ale pie, bangers and mash, Scotch eggs, sausage rolls, sticky toffee pudding and a traditional Sunday carvery with Yorkshire puddings and lashings of gravy.
The pub is the latest project from award-winning hospitality group Nokturnl — the team behind Stories, The Beaufort, The Old Synagogue and The Station.
Nokturnl co-founder Drew Flanagan said he hoped to bring British pub culture back to Perth, something that has been lacking after Moon and Sixpence closed in 2017.
Together with business partner Ross Drennan, the duo hope to bring a homely, welcoming vibe to the city rather than be just another entertainment venue.
“We didn’t want to just build a themed venue,” Mr Flanagan said. “We wanted to create somewhere that genuinely feels like you’ve walked into a proper British local.
“The best British pubs have personality. They’re full of stories, history and little details that make every visit different — and that’s exactly what we’re creating here.
“And British over English is important to us. There’s a big Scottish community in Perth, Welsh as well. So it’s not just about being English.”
To help create that authenticity, the venue will be filled with British memorabilia, from sporting treasures and royal keepsakes to a signed Oasis guitar that is sure to be well secured on a wall.
Nokturnl are inviting Perth locals to become part of The Queen’s Arms story, encouraging people with special British memorabilia or family heirlooms to sell, loan or donate items for display throughout the pub.
“There’s a lot of emphasis on trying to find original pieces rather than just prints on the wall we could print locally,” Drennan said. “It’s the little authentic touches that make a proper British pub feel special.”
Leading the venue will be UK-born hospitality leader Michelle Vas with Manchester-born assistant venue manager, James ‘Haddy’ Hadfield by her side.
Ms Vas started her hospitality career in England before moving to Australia and was most recently the assistant venue manager at The Beaufort.
She has always dreamt of running a British pub and will aim to recreate the familiarity from the pubs of her youth.
“I can’t wait to give people that feeling of walking into a local where everyone belongs,” she said. “Somewhere people can drop in after work, catch up with mates over a pint, bring the family for a Sunday carvery or settle in to watch the football.”
The Queen’s Arms is set to open in late September trading seven days a week for lunch until late with live music every Friday.
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