London Symphonies - A historic pub crawl around the old London docks

London Symphonies? What interests me is the way the ghosts of lost London continue to haunt us today, how the echoes of the past are all around us and most of the time we don't notice. Let me give an example,  you agree to meet friends in a random pub in town. You arrive early and find that it has a fascinating history, that you were totally unaware of. London is full of such pubs. Most of the patrons barely give this fascinating history a second glance, but when you do, you might just find it was well worth the while. That is the heart of what this series is about. 

Which brings us to yesterday, Sunday the 9th March 2025. Earlier in the week, I'd checked the weather forecast, and it was for a lovely sunny day. This meant that it was thumbs up for my latest excursion into London for a London Symphony. This is one that I've been planning for a very long time. It would commbine several of my favourite things. A trip into London, a chance to visit some wonderful pubs and drink some excellent beer, a nice walk and good lunch. Best of all though, it was a chance to write another chapter of my London Symphonies project. A little background. Between 1993 and 2010, I worked around the Leman St/St Katherines Dock area of London. I got very familiar with many of the pubs in the locality. Several firm favourites backed onto the River Thames. I've sat with friends in these pubs, always meaning to spend some time learning the stories behind them, but always far too busy chatting about beer, music and football to get around to it. I've always meant to, but never made the time. This Sunday was the opportunity to put this right. 

I did  bit of research and decided that we'd start at a pub I'd not visited, it was just a bit too far for a lunchtime evening pint, but I was well aware of it and have long intended to go. This is The Mayflower, a lovely pub near Rotherhithe station. When I informed Clare of the plan, to visit four pubs, have a nice walk along the Thames and end with Sunday lunch, she suggested we ask a few friends. This was a great idea, as having other people on such trips gives a different perspective and I see things I'd have missed. So we gathered at The Mayflower and started with a couple of pints. The pub is georgeous. The beer is good, the food looked excellent and it has a real 'lost London' feel. There is all manner of photographs, paintings and models. The pub was renamed "The Mayflower" in 1957, to celebrate links with the Mayflower that took the first settlers to the USA. The pub claims to be the oldest Riverside pub in London, dating back to 1550. Apparently some of the timbers are the same ones used in the Mayflower, which was moored nearby. The pub had previously been called The Spreadeagle. One of our party Gary, suggested that this may have been because it was a house of ill repute. As the docks were full of frustrated sailors, on shore with money and time on their hands, this wouldn't surprise me, but I couldn't really find any evidence to back this up. If you are interested in the journey of The Mayflower, it is a great place to visit. The Mayflower is most definitely a pub worth visiting. 

When all of our party had assembled and were full refreshed, we made our way along the river path towards Tower Bridge. On a nice day, this is fascinating. One of the nicest spots on the south bank river path is "Dr Salters Daydream". A small area, dedicated to Dr Salter, a well loved Labour politician, responsible for many local improvements. Dr Salter lost his daughter to Scarlet fever when she was a child. The park has figures of Dr Salter, his wife, daughter and cat, a blissful daydream of better times, placed in his honour. The park has a wonderful view of the river Thames. There are all manner of wonderful spots along the River Thames, each with there own unique story. I was unaware of the story of Dr Salter, but this certainly has to be one of my favourite spots by the river. 

I am a big fan of public art and this is one of the finest examples. It is heartwarming to find that there are politicians who inspire such fondness from local people.

We carried on down, crossing the Thames via Tower Bridge. The bridge is perhaps the most iconic bridge in the world. I always get a buzz when I cross the river, especially over Tower Bridge. I've always thought it a shame that modern architects do not seem interested in endowing things of beauty for generations to come. On the Thames path walk, there is one amazing view of Tower Bridge that is completely ruined by the monstrosity that is 'the cheesegrater'. I am not anti modern architecture, I love The Shard, which is elegant and I watche being built from my office in Park St.

It's just the cheesegrater is ugly and looks like it steals sky. This is one of the views where the monstrosity is masked by Tower Bridge, if you look in the full gallery below, you'll see one where this is not the case. I ask all London planners to be more considerate with their approvals and please, please don't ruin our river!

On the North bank of the The Thames, we made our way to The Town of Ramsgate. In the days when I worked in this part of town, this was our go to riverside pub. The garden is a real suntrap and we had many long, boozy lunches. I'd never actually wondered why it was called The Town of Ramsgate before. This association came about because Ramsgate fishermen chose to unload their catches here, rather than at Billingsgate to avoid taxes. Doubtless, they'd have a few beers as well before heading back. Allegedly, there has been a pub on the site since 1460. The river was the main trade route into London and there was always plenty of sailors, fisherman and travellers looking for refreshment. At the turn of the last century, there were 20 pubs on Wapping High Street. The Town of Ramsgate is the last of these to survive. It's not a massive pub, a bit of a gem that locals appreciate though. The pub is next to Olivers Wharf. Valerie, one of our party, who is a building surveyor by trade, asked if we knew what Wharf meant. I had no idea. It is an acronym Warehouse at River Front. Olivers were the company that operated it. These old riverfront warehouses have been converted into flats and offices. When I first worked near Wapping, the area was run down. I wish I'd bought some property as these flats no go for millions!

Next on our journey was the Captain Kidd pub. As I mentioned, the Warehouses had been repurposed. The Captain Kidd was transformed into a pub in the 1980's. It had previously been a coffee warehouse. It is a nice enough pub. Sadly, the weekend had been so nice, that nearly all the beer had been drunk, so I had to make do with a Sam Smiths lager. The name recalls William Kidd, a Thames Pirate, executed at Execution Dock in 1701. When we think of Pirates, we think of far flung, exotic places. It may seem strange to us to think the Thames was a lucrative hunting ground for such men. Although not a historic pub, it has a wonderful beer garden overlooking the Thames. One of the oddities of this pub is that the way the front has been dressed, I thought it had closed down until I was standing outside. I wonder if I am the only one to think this?

And on to our final destination and lunch. This was at The Prospect of Whitby pub.This

is by the spot where Captain Kidd was executed. There has been a pub on the site since around 1520. It was rebuilt following a fire in the early 19th century. As with all the aforementioned pubs, it has a grand view of the river. The pub name comes from a coal freighter that used to moor next to the pub to unload. Previously it had been known as The Devils Tavern, as it was a meeting place for smugglers and cutthroats. 

Nowadays all of these pubs are pleasant locations to take a drink, eat a meal and watch the world go by with the river Thames as your backdrop. The Thames is no longer the main transport artery into and out of London. Apart from the odd barge carrying rubbish, the vast majority of Thames River traffic is leisure and pleasure boats. A hundred years ago, this was the bustling heart of London. Now? It's a nice walk on a sunny Sunday afternoon. One thing I've learned about London is that it is constantly changing. I daresay if you'd told Captain Kidd that the Devils Tavern would end up being a place where Londoners nipped down for a nice lunch on a Sunny Sunday, he'd think you mad. Such is the glory of London

Google Map of the walk

The full photo gallery.