A fancy exterior remains, in the Elaborate Art Nouveau Gothic style, but the pub was victim of one of the worst excesses of brewery greed in the 1980s when its grade II listed high ceilinged interior was destroyed to create “Presleys”. The resulting litigation led to the forced restoration of many original features in 1993 and, following reversion to the original name, the current decor is much more welcoming. The rear is carpeted and mirrored and doubles as a dining area while the outside remains as distinctive as ever.

Licensed in 1730 as the Sun and rebuilt in 1897 by Treadwell & Martin. The rising sun is a natural name for a pub with its associations with good weather and good fortune, but it also forms a large part of the coat of arms of the Distillers' Company which makes it even more popular as a pub name.

Karl Marx is reputed to have used this pub in the 1850s when 18 pubs existed along the length of the Tottenham Court Road.