Fathers Day Bar Hopping in Wapping London
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Father's Day or Bar Hopping Day as I like to call it...as this is the day I go on a little pub tour with my Dad.
I've been taking my Dad on a pub crawl on Father's Day for as long as I can remember. We've been on some interesting sessions. One year I took him for a Gentlemen's Afternoon Tea in The Library in County Hall, we had a seat over looking the Thames with a good view of Big Ben. The best thing about this one, is that the beer was bottomless. Two hours of a steady stream of beers. Last year I took him on a mini pub crawl which started off with a Sunday Roast and a selection of free beers at The Brewhouse and ended with us going for Afternoon Tea at The Tale Bar, which is the famous Playboy bunny club in London. This wasn't as seedy as it might sound. Honest!
This year's Father's Day was a bit more sensible...there were no Playboy bunnies or Afternoon Teas but there was a lot of history and characters.
The Wapping Pub Crawl
The route:
The Grapes
After meeting my Dad at Limehouse Station, we had a nice walk around the basin to this pub The Grapes. We went here in hope of seeing Gandalf the Grey from Lord of the Rings, as the actor Sir Ian McKellen is one of the leaseholders. Sadly, he wasn't there but his staff was (No pun intended).
This is a wonderful old pub with a great view of the Thames. Charles Dickens is said to have drank here...it seems he's had a drink everywhere in London. The pub has also featured in Oscar Wilde's Dorian Grey and Sherlock Holmes.
Prospect of Whitby
After making our way passed Gordon Ramsey's Gastropub The Narrow, which sadly didn't have availability at a time that fitted in with my route. So instead we came to this pub for the prospect of lunch.
The Prospect of Whitby has a hangman's noose at the back, if we wanted to hang around (Sorry!). The noose is to commemorate Judge Jefferys "The Hanging Judge", who sentenced many criminals. It is also said that the noose marks the location of the Execution Docks, where the pirates would be left hanging to ward off incoming pirates.
The artist JMW Turner used to drink here and would sketch the views. If he came here today, would he have sketched the Canary Wharf buildings?
Captain Kidd
At the next stop we go find the Captain..... Captain Kidd, a Scottish pirate who was hanged twice because the rope broke the first time. The crowds demanded his release when the rope broke the first time as they thought it was a sign from God but he got hanged again regardless.
This is a Samuel Smiths pub, if you have never been to one, you're missing out. They stock only their own products, you won't find Carlsberg or Fosters here. Even the Coke and Crisps are Samuel Smiths branded. Here I had a pint of the Organic Wheat Beer, which was smooth and strong. My Dad went for the Taddy Lager.
Turner's Old Star
We went for a short walk inland to this pub, Turner's Old Star, which was owned by the artist JMW Turner. He inherited a couple of cottages from a mistress and turned them into a pub.
This felt like a proper local pub where everyone probably knew each other's names and we were the uninvited guests. The place felt friendly enough and wasn't intimidating as it may sound. We had a pint here, watched a bit of the Cricket World Cup where India were playing Pakistan in Old Trafford. We also watched a bit of the FIFA Women's World Cup Football.
Turk's Head
Just around the corner is the Turk's Head. We didn't actually drink in this pub as it was closed and it's now a cafe...although on looking through the window they did have a couple of beer taps.
I wanted to see this place as this is where the condemned would come for their last drink before being hanged. To continue the theme I like to think that Captain Kidd probably had his last drink here.
Town of Ramsgate
Judge Jefferys "The Hanging Judge", who I had mentioned earlier in regards to the Prospect of Whitby was captured outside this pub as he was trying to flee on a ship to Hamburg whilst dressed as a sailor. After the 1688 revolution when King James II was overthrown and escaped, Judge Jefferys was a wanted man as he enforced the King's royal policies and had a reputation for severity and bias. Interestingly, he was spotted by one of the surviving victims of his judicial system. The judge later died in the Tower of London from kidney disease. How fitting would it have been if he had been hanged?
Before coming here I read online that during the low tide you can still see the wooden post where the pirates would be chained to and would wait to die as the tide came back in. The tide was low when we got there but there was no obvious post that we could see.
Dickens Inn
The last pub on my planned route. I thought it would be nice to finish at St Katherine's Dock. It's shame the weather wasn't better but we stayed outside anyway.
Despite being called the Dickens Inn, Charles never drank here himself. In fact, it didn't even exist in his day. Originally it was a warehouse that housed Tea and was officially opened as a pub in May 1976 by Charles Dickens Great Grandson Cedric.
Ten Bells
My Dad was still thirsty, so we headed over towards Spitalfields near Liverpool Street to this pub The Ten Bells. This one is famous for Jack the Ripper. One of his victims worked the street outside the premises and it's likely that Jack the Ripper drank here whilst looking out for his next victim.
This is a great old pub with tiled walls...better still my Dad got two free pints because it was Father's Day....if only we had known this sooner!
The Wenlock Arms
To ensure my Dad made it home okay, I accompanied him to his local pub The Wenlock Arms. This is another wonderful local pub with lots of character and characters with a wide selection of Real Ales.
---
So our Father's Day journey comes to an end. We both had an amazing day and swapped many stories. What will be in store for next year? I've already got a few ideas. Watch this space.
Father's Day or Bar Hopping Day as I like to call it...as this is the day I go on a little pub tour with my Dad.
I've been taking my Dad on a pub crawl on Father's Day for as long as I can remember. We've been on some interesting sessions. One year I took him for a Gentlemen's Afternoon Tea in The Library in County Hall, we had a seat over looking the Thames with a good view of Big Ben. The best thing about this one, is that the beer was bottomless. Two hours of a steady stream of beers. Last year I took him on a mini pub crawl which started off with a Sunday Roast and a selection of free beers at The Brewhouse and ended with us going for Afternoon Tea at The Tale Bar, which is the famous Playboy bunny club in London. This wasn't as seedy as it might sound. Honest!
This year's Father's Day was a bit more sensible...there were no Playboy bunnies or Afternoon Teas but there was a lot of history and characters.
The Wapping Pub Crawl
The route:
The Grapes
After meeting my Dad at Limehouse Station, we had a nice walk around the basin to this pub The Grapes. We went here in hope of seeing Gandalf the Grey from Lord of the Rings, as the actor Sir Ian McKellen is one of the leaseholders. Sadly, he wasn't there but his staff was (No pun intended).
This is a wonderful old pub with a great view of the Thames. Charles Dickens is said to have drank here...it seems he's had a drink everywhere in London. The pub has also featured in Oscar Wilde's Dorian Grey and Sherlock Holmes.
 |
| Gandalf the Grey's Staff |
After making our way passed Gordon Ramsey's Gastropub The Narrow, which sadly didn't have availability at a time that fitted in with my route. So instead we came to this pub for the prospect of lunch.
The Prospect of Whitby has a hangman's noose at the back, if we wanted to hang around (Sorry!). The noose is to commemorate Judge Jefferys "The Hanging Judge", who sentenced many criminals. It is also said that the noose marks the location of the Execution Docks, where the pirates would be left hanging to ward off incoming pirates.
The artist JMW Turner used to drink here and would sketch the views. If he came here today, would he have sketched the Canary Wharf buildings?
Captain Kidd
At the next stop we go find the Captain..... Captain Kidd, a Scottish pirate who was hanged twice because the rope broke the first time. The crowds demanded his release when the rope broke the first time as they thought it was a sign from God but he got hanged again regardless.
This is a Samuel Smiths pub, if you have never been to one, you're missing out. They stock only their own products, you won't find Carlsberg or Fosters here. Even the Coke and Crisps are Samuel Smiths branded. Here I had a pint of the Organic Wheat Beer, which was smooth and strong. My Dad went for the Taddy Lager.
Turner's Old Star
We went for a short walk inland to this pub, Turner's Old Star, which was owned by the artist JMW Turner. He inherited a couple of cottages from a mistress and turned them into a pub.
This felt like a proper local pub where everyone probably knew each other's names and we were the uninvited guests. The place felt friendly enough and wasn't intimidating as it may sound. We had a pint here, watched a bit of the Cricket World Cup where India were playing Pakistan in Old Trafford. We also watched a bit of the FIFA Women's World Cup Football.
Turk's Head
Just around the corner is the Turk's Head. We didn't actually drink in this pub as it was closed and it's now a cafe...although on looking through the window they did have a couple of beer taps.
I wanted to see this place as this is where the condemned would come for their last drink before being hanged. To continue the theme I like to think that Captain Kidd probably had his last drink here.
Town of Ramsgate
Judge Jefferys "The Hanging Judge", who I had mentioned earlier in regards to the Prospect of Whitby was captured outside this pub as he was trying to flee on a ship to Hamburg whilst dressed as a sailor. After the 1688 revolution when King James II was overthrown and escaped, Judge Jefferys was a wanted man as he enforced the King's royal policies and had a reputation for severity and bias. Interestingly, he was spotted by one of the surviving victims of his judicial system. The judge later died in the Tower of London from kidney disease. How fitting would it have been if he had been hanged?
Before coming here I read online that during the low tide you can still see the wooden post where the pirates would be chained to and would wait to die as the tide came back in. The tide was low when we got there but there was no obvious post that we could see.
Dickens Inn
The last pub on my planned route. I thought it would be nice to finish at St Katherine's Dock. It's shame the weather wasn't better but we stayed outside anyway.
Despite being called the Dickens Inn, Charles never drank here himself. In fact, it didn't even exist in his day. Originally it was a warehouse that housed Tea and was officially opened as a pub in May 1976 by Charles Dickens Great Grandson Cedric.
Ten Bells
My Dad was still thirsty, so we headed over towards Spitalfields near Liverpool Street to this pub The Ten Bells. This one is famous for Jack the Ripper. One of his victims worked the street outside the premises and it's likely that Jack the Ripper drank here whilst looking out for his next victim.
This is a great old pub with tiled walls...better still my Dad got two free pints because it was Father's Day....if only we had known this sooner!
The Wenlock Arms
To ensure my Dad made it home okay, I accompanied him to his local pub The Wenlock Arms. This is another wonderful local pub with lots of character and characters with a wide selection of Real Ales.
---
So our Father's Day journey comes to an end. We both had an amazing day and swapped many stories. What will be in store for next year? I've already got a few ideas. Watch this space.
I've bookmarked this as I'm going to London soon with my Dad to see the Stanley Kubrick exhibition and we'll need a pub or two to keep us going. Thanks for this!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your feedback. Glad you found the guide interesting. Did you manage take your Dad in the end?
DeleteFound this link regarding Kubrick trivia that you might find interesting too. It's near St Katherine's Dock which is a one of my favourite places in London near Tower Hill:
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2012/07/07/the-2001-monolith-is-on-display-by-tower-bridge/