Historic London pubs
London has many historic pubs and I am going to introduce you to 3 of the best. You could start out at the Captain Kidd, cross the river to The Mayflower and finish up at The Prospect of Whitby. The best food, in my opinion, is to be found at the Captain Kidd.
The Prospect of Whitby, 57 Wapping Hill, Tower Hamlets, E1W 3SP
The Prospect of Whitby, built in the 1520s, beside the River Thames in East London, has hosted many famous English icons looking to slake their thirst on a hot summer's day. Originally known as the Devil's Tavern, the stone floor is probably the most original part of this old pub. Charles Dickens, the people's favourite writer of his day, was a regular here. Another literary icon, Samuel Pepys, has a dining room above the bar named after him, where, it is rumoured, he used to seduce countless numbers of women. There is a noose hanging outside the pub window in honour of 'hanging' judge George Jefferies who was infamous for sentencing people to the gallows and was a regular drinker at the Prospect. The painters Turner and Whistler were, apparently, frequent drinkers here too.
Nearest Tube: East Wapping Line, buses: D3; 100
The Captain Kidd, 108 Wapping High Street, Wapping E1W 2NE
Wapping used to be a rough area in the 1600s. It was a place where the police feared to go, murders were rife, and the bars packed full of pirates and prostitutes! The Captain Kidd has been a pub for about a century, though the building dates back to the 17th Century. The pub is named after Captain William Kidd, a Scot who used to hunt down and capture pirates. He later turned pirate himself, though was later captured and hung at Execution Dock (a stones throw from the Captain Kidd pub and now home to the marine police station). This is my favourite Wapping pub as it enjoys a superb riverside location, has a quality restaurant, and captures the pirate era well, with assorted memorabilia and a hang man's noose above the bar entrance.
Nearest Tube: East Wapping Line, buses: D3; 100
The Mayflower, 117 Rotherhithe Street, Rotherhithe SE16 4NF
The Mayflower is the only pub in the United Kingdom licensed to sell United States postage stamps. Dating back to around 1550 (originally known as The Shippe), this pub has a famous history: Captain Christopher Jones moored his ship outside The Mayflower in 1620 for a few months whilst it was fitted up to carry his passengers - who were preparing to embark on a long voyage - in a ship called The Mayflower. The passengers became known as the Pilgrim Fathers and the colony they founded is now known as the United States of America. Captain Jones is buried in nearby St. Mary's church. The pub has a peaceful atmosphere, with the wooden flooring and lanterns giving the feeling of being below decks in an ancient ship. In the summer patrons can sit outside and, at low tide, view the original wooden foundations of the mooring jetty as used by Captain Jones almost 400 years ago.
Nearest Tube: Wapping East London Line (the underground line between Wapping and Rotherhithe opened in 1843 and the first tunnel under the Thames, buses: C10; C81; 47; 188.