Our Story
The Burgundy Lion pub opened in 2008 with the simple mission of providing Montrealers with a level of service and quality on par with the great restaurants of this city and the world, in a more casual, comfortable pub environment. Since then we have expanded that successful model to our growing brand, the Burgundy Lion Group.
Our first Brit n’ Chips location was opened in 2010, serving high end fast food fish n’ chips adapted to incorporate Quebecois flavours and ingredients. Our Gin heavy English pub the Bishop & Bagg opened in the mile-end district in 2014, with a focus on cocktails, beers and locally sourced comfort food. Due to popular demand to bring our unique brand of British/Quebecois hospitality to outside events, we started our catering wing, Royal British Hospitality Catering (RBHC) in 2016. And we’re extremely excited about our newest venture in old Montreal, Pub Wolf & Workman.
Why Wolf & Workman?
The Wolf:
8th Mayor of Montreal
Wolfred Nelson was born in Montreal the son of William Nelson, an immigrant to Colonial America from Newsham, North Yorkshire, England. His mother, Jane Dies, was a teacher and daughter of an important land owner in the New York area. Along with his younger brother Robert Nelson, he was known as a member of the Patriotes and his leading role in the Lower Canada Rebellion. Nelson studied at the school of his father in William Henry (today Sorel, Quebec). He became a doctor in January 1811, and subsequently served in that capacity with the British troops on the War of 1812. He moved to Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu where he opened a distillery. He entered politics when elected in William Henry in 1827. He supported the Parti Patriote. In a prelude to the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837, Nelson led 5,000 Patriotes in the two-day Assembly of the Six Counties in Saint-Charles, Lower Canada (present-day Quebec), on 23 and 24 October 1837, to protest the government's Russell Resolutions, taking place despite the 15 June Proclamation forbidding public assemblies.
On 16 November 1837, he and 25 others were charged with high treason. The following month, on 4 December 1837, Louis-Joseph Papineau and Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan joined Nelson at Saint-Denis where they decided to resist arrest, procure arms and ammunition for the people and declare the independence of Lower Canada. It was around this time that Nelson exclaimed, "The time has come, to melt our spoons into bullets." Sentenced to be hung, he as eventually exiled to Bermuda in 1838, Nelson was granted amnesty by the British colonial government and came back to Montreal in 1842. In 1844, he was elected to the new Parliament of the Province of Canada. In 1854, he became mayor of Montreal, and he died in June 1863. He is interred in the Anglican cemetery in Sorel-Tracy and is commemorated by a park in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.
The Workman:
12th mayor of Montreal
In 1807, William Workman was born at his family's 'handsome cottage' in Ballymacash, Co. Antrim. William Workman's first employment was working on the newspapers, Canadian Courant and Montreal Advertiser, owned by his brother, Benjamin. In 1830, he joined another brother, Thomas, in the wholesale hardware house of John Frothingham, located 20 meters west of the present day Wolf & Workman. By 1836, the Workmans had become full partners, indicating that they had brought some capital into the firm. As well as handling imported items, Frothingham and Workman manufactured some hardware in their Montreal factories which employed hundreds of men. Workman would remain in partnership with Frothingham until his retirement in 1859, and under them it would become Canada's largest tool and hardware wholesale business.
He never attempted to enter politics, but following Confederation he took an active interest in federal affairs. Workman was best known in Montreal for his municipal political activity and his local philanthropy. He was nominated for mayor 1868, running against Jean-Louis Beaudry. Beaudry made serious allegations of corruption against Workman in an attempt to win, which led to Workman being disqualified. However, found to be innocent of these false charges, he was allowed back in the race and easily defeated Beaudry in the elections. He proved so popular that he was re-elected by acclamation in 1869 and again in 1870.