Built as a gentleman's club in 1894, this is one of Durban’s few remaining links with its Colonial past. It is the oldest licenced premises in the City, its licence dates back to 1894. It is now a National Monument.
This Building was still left standing and the old Queens Tavern, which was also due for demolition, but was rented to Peter Noel-Barham, who set it up as a Restaurant, called the British Middle-East Indian Sporting and Dining Club. It had old newspapers from places like Cairo and Calcutta. They were collecting signatures for a petition for the Building not to be demolished but to be declared a Historical Monument. Graham Leonard signed it as the Bishop of Truro, and wrote his comments in Cornish.
It was declared a National Monument under old NMC legislation on 23 December 1983.
The original portion of Queen’s Tavern, consisted of a foyer with a pressed steel ceiling, a Billiard room, a Smoking room, a Staff room and several Out Buildings. In 1903 a Committee Room and Kitchen was added and the Billiard room enlarged. This Building, often described a bastion of a forgotten era, is one of Durban’s.
