Immersive, Not Costume: Inside Nokturnl’s Blueprint For A “Proper” British Pub

Every themed venue eventually runs up against the same test: does it feel immersive, or does it feel like a costume? Nokturnl, the hospitality group behind sprawling dining precincts like Stories and The Station, has built its reputation on knowing where to draw the line. There's plenty of theatre, but it's backed by real craftsmanship: the difference between a venue that's fun to visit once, and one you actually want to return to. Now, they're applying that formula to perhaps their most unique concept yet: The Queen's Arms, a proper British pub in the CBD.

The problem is that a good British pub isn't supposed to feel designed. It should feel accumulated over decades. Mismatched memorabilia on the walls, familiar faces behind the bar and rituals that regulars could set their watches by. So how do you build one from scratch in 2026 without it feeling like a tribute act?

Nokturnl's approach is refreshingly literal: buy the real thing, or leave the wall bare. "We've gone to a lot of effort to buy original, antique, vintage pieces, rather than ordering fake signs off Temu," Nokturnl explains. "We'd like to think that when people walk in, they'll say these guys have gone to a lot of effort here." It's that groundwork that sets The Queen's Arms apart as a genuine British pub, and a collection that will only keep growing as the team, and eventually the regulars, add their own mark to the walls over time.

It was really the Queen Street location, the former home of The Flour Factory, that sealed the deal on the concept. A heritage 1920s structure that unfolds behind a modest street-front entrance into five or six distinct spaces, anchored by a timber staircase running through the middle. "A lot of UK pubs are within historical buildings, much older than anything we've got," Nokturnl explains. "But at least this will feel like that for people here." Hospitality venues in Perth tend to rebrand and relaunch every couple of years, chasing whatever's next. Nokturnl is after the opposite: a pub that feels like it's been there for decades, not weeks.

Step further in, and you'll find the most captivating element of any pub, the décor. What makes The Queen's Arms' interior so distinctive is the sheer amount of genuine British antiques and memorabilia woven through it. The team has spent months sourcing and importing pieces to properly ornament the space: a guitar signed by the Gallagher brothers, a Beatles guitar signed by Paul McCartney, Ashes-era cricket pieces, and memorabilia spanning the British Open and English football.

The more compelling part isn't what Nokturnl has bought, though. It's what Perth's own British community has started handing over. Since the concept went public, locals have been offering up tea sets, paintings, even a Mini Cooper painted with a Union Jack for a photoshoot, all in the hope of a spot on the wall. "It's been pretty cool to see the community start to get behind it," Nokturnl enthuses.

It's the ode to British culture that the Nokturnl team feels has been missing from Perth's CBD for the best part of a decade. Since the closure of The Moon & Sixpence and Wheelbarrow, the CBD has been without a proper English local, somewhere to sink a pint, watch the football and feel a world away from the WA sunshine, if only for an afternoon.

From the creators of Stories and The Beaufort, Nokturnl is opening another destination to add to the CBD's rotation, its fifth major venue, and the first built around a single identity rather than a standalone bar or restaurant. Their other venues each operate independently, trading on buzzy, trend-led energy; The Queen's Arms is intentionally different, built as one comfortable, welcoming local rather than another trendy bar. "Perth's been calling out for an English pub after not having had one in the CBD for years," reflects Nokturnl, pointing to The Moon & Sixpence and Wheelbarrow as the city's last proper British locals. "We saw a gap in the market and thought it would be a great fit for the city."

That same instinct extends to who's running the place. Venue Manager Michelle Vas and Assistant Venue Manager James "Haddy" Hadfield, both English and both promoted from within Nokturnl's other venues, have been tasked with building a predominantly British front-of-house team, so the hospitality feels lived-in rather than lifted from a mood board. The Scottish side of things hasn't been left out either, with Ceilidh dancing and a St Andrew's Day celebration in the works, developed in consultation with the local Scots in Perth community social page.

Still, Nokturnl is quick to point out this isn't a members-only slice of England. Aussie sport will be on the screens, the food and drink offering is built to suit everyone, and the goal, in their words, is a venue that's "warm, welcoming, inclusive" for the whole CBD.

Quiz nights, Sunday carveries and live music running Wednesday through Sunday will become a permanent fixture on the calendar, with the doors opening for the first time over the King's Birthday long weekend. Unlike Perth's usual Sunday carvery, this one comes with proper British trimmings: giant, fluffy Yorkshire puddings and lashings of gravy, rather than the standard meat-and-veg. Further down the track, though, Nokturnl's ambitions look a little different. "We're looking to establish something that can, whenever possible, earn a reputation as Perth's new local," Nokturnl says. "Consistent service, consistent product: hopefully a staple for many years to come."

It's a promise worth holding them to. Perth's British expats have gone a decade without a proper local of their own, and everyone else in the CBD has been missing out on a good pint and a Sunday roast in equal measure. This is all about to change, and it's clear that The Queen's Arms won't just be the pub of the moment. It'll be the pub Perth keeps coming back to.

Hero image credit: The Queen's Arms | Instagram