Rules, London’s oldest restaurant, donated to National Trust

Historic eatery in capital’s theatreland given to heritage charity after changing hands only three times in 228 years When Thomas Rule served his first oyster to diners on Maiden Lane in London’s Covent Garden, “mad” George III was on the throne of England, John Adams was US president and William Pitt the Younger had just come up with a wheeze called income tax to pay for the Napoleonic wars. More than two centuries later, Rules , the restaurant Thomas founded in what became the capital’s theatreland, has outlasted nine British monarchs and 45 prime ministers – but has changed hands only…