Historic Pubs
West
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The Old Ship - 25 Upper Mall, W6. Hammersmith
or Ravenscourt Park tube, 10 minute walk.
The Old Ship combines the bright and modern with historical
charm, to which is added a winning mix of good food
and an even better location. A busy and popular
pub, the Old Ship overlooks a quiet stretch of the
Thames just west of Hammersmith, and is a short stroll
from the ancient Dove establishment.
With a balcony, extensive interior and exterior seating,
and a nearby green, there is always a spot to settle
down with a beer or glass of wine. The relaxed atmosphere
(except around the TV when the sport's on) and food
a cut above the average make this a pub lunch destination
par excellence.
Bull's Head - 15 Strand on the Green, W4. Gunnersbury
Tube.
Right on the river, the Bull's Head is a popular sixteenth-century
inn said to have been a hiding spot of Oliver Cromwell
during the Civil War. If this pub is crowded, the
City Barge (founded 1484) is only a few yards away.
The Dove - 19 Upper Mall, W6. Hammersmith or
Ravenscourt Park Tube.
One of a number of Hammersmith riverside pubs, but
the most authentic. Low beamed ceilings, wall settles,
and the cosy-sized rooms reflect the pub's 300 year
history. Grab a seat out on the river-side terrace
or in the adjacent conservatory if you can.
Prince Alfred - 9 Formosa Street, W9.
One of London's pub oddities, the Prince Alfred offers
Victorian 'snob screens' that divide the bar into
five. This basically allows you to sit your own private
bar, as each compartment has access to the bar and
an exit from the premises.
South
Raven - 140 Westbridge Avenue, SW11.
Built in 1580, this is the oldest pub in Battersea.
Reputedly a smuggler's inn in centuries past, there's
a roaring fire in winter and barbeques in the courtyard
during summer.
Mayflower - 117 Rotherhithe Street, SE16.
A busy riverside inn that witnessed the departure
of the Pilgrim Fathers in the seventeenth century
from a nearby mooring. The original 'nautical' pub.
Anchor Bankside - 34 Park Street, SE1.
Few pubs have as much of a history as this small riverside
inn. The present building dates from 1770, but a pub
has stood here for ten successive centuries. Samuel
Johnson wrote part of his famous dictionary here.
George Inn - 77 Borough High Street, SE1.
This sixteenth century pub is owned and preserved
by the National Trust. London's only surviving galleried
coaching inn, it was once an important staging post
for travellers to and from the city.
Trafalgar Tavern - Park Row SE10. Greenwich
or Maze Hill BR, Cutty Sark DLR.
Built in 1837 on the site of an earlier pub, the Trafalgar
is a Greenwich institution. Featured in Dicken's Our
Mutual Friend, the pub has attracted its fair share
of important visitors, who no doubt enjoyed the impressive
views of the Thames, which in more recent times have
also included an eyeful of the Dome.
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