Ep 17 The Angel with Two Wings - Bermondsey & Wapping Pub Crawl with Samuel Pepys, Captain Cook, and JMW Turner

The Angel Bermondsey is a pub with lots of historic legends and it has two neighboring pubs (the wings) with less history but fun facts none the less:  Turner’s Old Star and The Ancient Foresters

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Google map with pubs covered in previous episodes pinned, courtesy of Andy Meddick:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/4/edit?mid=12c-WKa3XiT1qTLydK8psZocUR7Y_Wes&usp=sharing

Or TinyURL: https://tinyurl.com/bduca5dv

The following resources are referenced or quoted frequently in these episodes:

• Ted Bruning  -- Historic Pubs of London (ISBN 978-0658005022) and London By Pub (ISBN 978-0658005022)
• Wikipedia
• https://londonspubswherehistoryreallyhappened.wordpress.com/  by Ann Laffeaty

Additionally, the  following resource(s) were used in researching this episode:

https://stephenliddell.co.uk/2017/11/18/the-angel-pub-in-rotherhithe/

AndieByrnes, A Rotherhithe Blog: https://russiadock.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-angel-public-house.html

Great Pics of the Angel over the years: https://alondoninheritance.com/londonpubs/angel-rotherhithe/

Mirror newspaper article: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/pub-served-customers-dead-pensioner-5364308

Mr David Meadon’s Post on JMW Turner:  https://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/2022/02/jmw-turner-artist-and-publican.html

Turner’s Old Star website:  https://www.turnersoldstar.co.uk/

60 Minutes video: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/england-pubs-covid-19-60-minutes-2022-12-25/

Intro music:

Vivaldi - Spring Allegro by John Harrison w/ the Wichita State University Chamber Orch

Photo:  Ewan Munro

Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com/

E-mail: hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com

Transcript

Welcome to this episode of The Historic London Pubcast. I'm Eric Blair, and I'd like to take you on a journey through the rich history of London's iconic pubs. My goal is to share with you my passion for the great old pubs of London. I want to give you some facts to help you appreciate the history of these hallowed establishments mixed in with some fun stories that make it all go down as smooth as a well poured pint.

In previous episodes, I've covered The Mayflower in Rotherhitheand the river pubs in Wapping, just across the river. With this episode I would like to wrap up Bermondsey, Rotherhithe and Wapping by talking about three pubs. The first one is The Angel Bermondsey, and it's typical of the type of pub we cover in the series. One with a lot of antiquity and historical stories and legends.

The other two pubs are perhaps less so but are interesting for at least one reason and are worthy of mention. These two are The Ancient Foresters pub, about a 15-minute walk directly south of the river from The Angel and Turner's All Star, across the river in Wapping, but not on the river. I think you can consider these two to be wings to our primary pub today, so I've entitled this episode The Angel with Two Wings.

The Angel Bermondsey is just one of three pubs in Greater London named The Angel, and there are several that have the word Angel in their names, like The Angel and The Angel in the Field, The Angel Oak. So, it's always best to attach Bermondsey to The Angel. When first mentioning this place. The pub is just west from The Mayflower and like that pub looks out on the river and the bank at low tide from the south.

The site has been taken by an inn or pub since the 16th century. The first inn, or maybe it was just a guest house, was built by the monks of Bermondsey Abbey and thought to have been named The Salutation. The Abbey itself was located on what is now Tower Bridge Road, about a mile directly west of the pub, and dates back to 1715 A.D. the monks got around to building the inn about 700 years later, in the early 1500s.

Just before good old Henry The Eighth dissolved the order along with all the other orders in the country. A couple of hundred years before King Edward the Third had a manor in the plot next to what is now The Angel. Evidently it was only one of several he owned along the river. Edward reigned from 1327 to 1377, the sixth longest reign as an English Monarch.

Lots of fighting during this time in Scotland and later in France. He started the conflict with France that became The 100 Years War. Mixed in with that midway through his reign, the first wave of The Black Death came upon the country, killing somewhere between 30 and 50% of the population. Heavy stuff, but a man must have his diversions.

Edward was an avid Falconer, even taking 30 Falconers down to France with him to entertain the Knights between campaigns. His falcons probably flew at the sight of today's Angel 700 years ago. It is thought that the inn survived the disbanding of the order, and continued to operate as a riverside pub. There are several interesting points about the old pub that can be described as legends rather than provable facts, but they're fun to think about.

First, Samuel Pepys drank here. That would have been around the 1660s, and if there was an operating pub at this location, high probability he indeed drank here. Pepys used to come down to this area for business at Deptford Dockyard. The first of the Royal Dockyards and a major shipbuilding site, it was a couple of miles away near Greenwich.

Pepys mentioned stopping at Cherry Gardens, near what is now The Angel to buy fruit, but that was just an excuse. Randy Sammy was really looking to visit a pretty Carpenter's wife, Mrs. Bagwell. His diary has several entries, like the one from Friday, August 7th, 1663, 

“Young Bagwell and his wife waylaid me to desire my favor about getting him a better ship, which I shall pretend to be willing to do for them. What my mind is to know his wife a little better.”

Subsequent diary entries leave little doubt that he achieved his objective. Pepys does mention an Angel, likely a tavern or restaurant, but it seems to be one located on the north side of the river and further west. Overall, though, I would bet that the predecessor of today's Angel did get some of Samuel's business.

The next legend, Captain Cook and Hanging Judge George Jeffreys, were patrons. We covered both these guys stories in the episode about Wapping. Check that one out if you haven't already. Cook lived on Mile End Road north of the river in Whitechapel, but like Pepys, his nautical business would have taken him down this way and that would have been around the mid-1700s.

The Admiralty Execution Dock was directly across the river from the pub, and Judge Jeffreys was said to like to watch the hanging at the execution dock from The Angel's predecessor. Given the Judge's fondness for harsh punishment that would not be surprising if he did so. It would have been in the 1670s or 80s. In September of 1688, he was arrested at The Old Town of Ramsgate pub across the river from The Angel and died of disease while imprisoned at the Tower of London the following year. 

The final legend at the pub that existed on this site, Captain Christopher Jones of the Good Ship Mayflower, recruited hands and laid in storage for the voyage that would carry the pilgrims to The New World. The pub, The Mayflower, is only a short walk away, so it's likely he frequented The Angel also. We tell more about Captain Chris in our episode about The Mayflower pub. The current pub dates back to around the mid-1800s. One source says 1830 and other 1850. 

Andie Byrnes writes in a piece entitled A Rotherhithe Blog. 

“During most of the 17th and 18th centuries, its busy riverside would have ensured a rich but not always salubrious variety of clientele, from river pirates, smugglers and thieves to sailors and press games in the early 20th Century, its reputation and location attracted local artists, including Augustus John and James McNeill Whistler. In the 1940s and 50s. It became a popular destination for celebrities. Today, its customers are local residents, tourists and people walking The Thames Path.” 

Also included in Andie’s blog are a number of pictures taken over the years of the pub, from the street and from the river. It's linked in the notes. A patron who Andie didn't mention was J.M.W. Turner, who, like Whistler, was fascinated by naval scenes.

Some sources say that he painted what is possibly his most famous picture, The Fighting Temeraire from the pub's balcony in 1838. Wiki tells us that the work's full name is,

“The Fighting Temeraire, Tugged To Her Last Berth To Be broken Up, 1838.” 

It is an oil on canvas painting depicting the 98-gun ship, one of the last of the line to have played a role in The Battle of Trafalgar, being towed up The Thames by a paddle wheel steamer towards the final berth at Rotherhithe to be broken up for scrap.

The painting belongs to The National Gallery,having been bequeathed to the nation by the artist in 1851. In a poll organized by BBC radio in 2005, it was voted the nation's favorite Painting. In 2020, it was included on the 20-pound note, along with the artist's 1799 self-portrait. Was this famous painting really done from the deck of The Angel? Pub Blogger Ann Lafferty weighs in,

“Well, it all stacks up. The pub was definitely open at the time, and we all know that Turner liked to drink, but I'm a little skeptical nonetheless because Turner is also said to have painted it from a boat on The Thames, or a Rotherhithe dock, or his own studio.”

Well, there you have it, a legend, but not what we could call a fact.

The Angel is now a Samuel Smith pub. I would call the interior, ‘Classic Victorian.’ The bar serves two sides separated by a wall with a small door in between. The upstairs has been fitted for dining and has a great view of the river. As I remember the last time I visited, they were not fussy about you just having a drink up there if you were not ordering food. Take a look. Across The Thames you can see the pubs Prospect of Whitby and Town of Ramsgate. Outside the pub on the west side is a small park providing a terrific view of the London skyline, featuring in the foreground, Tower Bridge and the recent innovatively designed skyscrapers of the area. In the park there are a life-sized statues of The Salter family, Alfred and Ada and their daughter Joyce, who sadly died of yellow fever as a young girl. Alfred was a Doctor and later an MP for the area. He and wife Ada were well renowned for their public service to Bermondsey from around 1900 until their deaths in 1940s. Despite his statue being right next to The Angel pub, he was an advocate of total abstinence. Doctor Salter once declared that he had seen many MPs drunk in The House of Parliament, and added that, 

“No party was exempt from that failing.”

He refused to withdraw the statement and later spoke of Labor members who, 

“Soaked themselves until they were stupid. Clergymen and Ministers who drank in moderation,”

he declared, 

“Were worse enemies to The Temperance cause than Clergymen who were drunkards.” 

Okay, so we know that Doctor Salter was not afraid to make himself perfectly clear. It might be best to leave your buzz in the pub before you walk out to take in his statue.

Before we cross the river over to Wapping, let's check out the other southside pub of today, The Ancient Foresters. This pub dates back to the 1930s and is well reviewed by virtue of its live music and generally pleasant neighborhood atmosphere. The name came from a British fraternal organization, The Ancient Order of Foresters, formed in 1834. There are at least two other pubs named The Ancient Foresters in Britain, but from what I can see, this is the only one in London.

So, this pub is not particularly old, doesn't have unusual architects or famous patrons. Why discuss it here? The answer? Stories and legends. And specifically, one dating to 2015. Let me read directly from The Mirror newspaper article of March 19th, 2015, written by Sam Webb. First, the headline,

“Pub serves customers while dead pensioner lay behind the bar. His body couldn't be moved for seven hours.”

Then this from the text of the article, 

“A Publican and her staff opened their pub and began serving customers while a dead pensioner's body lay behind the bar, it emerged today. John Purnell, 70, keeled over and died from a heart attack while restocking fridges. After the body was discovered, it was left behind a part of the bar that was sealed off from customers. The Landlady, Sandra, who found the body soon afterwards, called an ambulance and police were also informed, but it took seven hours before the body could finally be removed. She and her bar staff, who were obliged to leave the body until it could be inspected by emergency services, are angry at the slow response. Sandra, who has run The Ancient Foresters in Bermondsey for eight years, said, “It's just not right. He deserved better and he should not have been lying there with the cover over him all day. Imagine if he had collapsed on the street? Would he have just been left there?” Sandra said customers were aware of the death as there were paramedics and police present. John’s sister told The Suffolk News, “It was more than shocking. He was a lovely, kind, funny man. He should not have been left there for seven hours.” A close friend and neighbor of John's said, “It was disgusting. He was incredibly kind and genuine. It's not right that he was left there. I wish I had known because I would have gone there and sat with him. That's what he would have done for me. He was like a father to me.” A Scotland Yard spokesman said, “Police were called by the London Ambulance Service to the public house after a report that a man was found unresponsive. Officers entered the property and the man's body was found. Next of kin were informed. The death is being treated as non-suspicious.””

Well, that's a story. Kind of an in-place Irish wake. It's interesting to note that the option of not serving beer to thirsty customers was not even considered, not even by John's friends and family. You know, there are probably worse things than starting off your journey to the Pearly Gates from a pub. RIP John. You are well remembered by all who knew you. 

Okay, let's turn our attention to our third pub across the river in Wapping – Turner’s All Star. Unlike other Wapping pubs, we covered in previous episode, the All Star is not on the river but more in the town area of Wapping.

It is a couple of blocks north of the river and holds the street address of 14 White Street. It is bordered by Reardon Street, which was previously known as Broad Street. Somewhere along this short street, Captain William Bligh of the HMS Bounty lived from 1785 to 1790, when he was not sailing the Pacific. This series is called Historic London Pub Cast, and as such I have a little dilemma when talking about this pub.

So, what's the dilemma? Well, I love this pub, but I have a difference of opinion regarding the historical connections it claims. Let me get that out of the way. Then I will tell you why I'm so fond of The Old Star and while even if you agree with me in the dispute over the history issue, you should plan to visit this fine establishment.

The pub claims to have once been owned by Painter J.M.W. Turner, the fellow we mentioned a while ago and talking about The Angel. The pub provides the following on an exterior sign, and on the pub website,

“Turner was exceptionally secretive, especially over women. From the age of 25 he was known to keep several mistresses who were to bear him four illegitimate children. Although he never married, women always played an important part in Turner's life. His vigorously sensual side was to emerge in copious quantities of erotic drawings discovered among Turner's bequest on his death. These were supposedly executed during the weekends of drunken debauchery amid the dockside taverns of Wapping. In 1833, Turner met Sophia Booth, a widowed landlady from Margate, and was to become his mistress until his death in 1851, when Turner inherited two cottages in the dockside area of Wapping. He converted them into a tavern, installed Mrs. Booth as Proprietor. He named the tavern The All Star. Turner’s All Star remains on the site today. In 1987, the property was extensively refurbished and, as a tribute to the Great British Painter, was renamed Turner's Old Star.” 

So that's the claim that Turner owned the pub and his mistress ran the place. From what I can find, the pub does have records dating back to around 1800 and was indeed named The Star even from the early days. However, a post on the blog site called Untold Livesbegs to differ about the connection to Artist Turner. The blog is maintained by The British Library to encourage independent researchers to contribute their work.

The post was authored by a gentleman named David Meaden, and is entitled, “J.M.W. Turner, Artist and Publican?” I hope you can hear that the title is written as a question. Mr. Meaden provides some convincing information. I have linked his blog piece in the notes. Let me read from some of it here,  

“In June 1820, JMW Turner’s uncle Joseph Mallord William Marshall, after whom he had been named, died.  Turner had lodged with his uncle, then a butcher in Brentford, for several years during his childhood.  Marshall left everything to his widow, Mary, with instructions about who should inherit on her death.  Turner and his cousin Henry Harpur, a solicitor, challenged the will so that they would not have to wait until their aunt’s death to benefit from their uncle’s will.  An agreement was reached whereby Turner and Harpur received four properties in New Crane Wapping, at the southern end of New Gravel Lane: Turner took nos. 7 & 8 and Harpur 9 & 10.  Turner also agreed to pay his aunt Mary an annuity of £20. 

Number 8 was a public house, The Ship and Bladebone.   The pub in Watts Street, off what was Old Gravel Lane, renamed itself Turner’s Old Star in 1987.  This may be somewhere that Turner visited but it is not the pub that he owned.  The Ship and Bladebone was a ten-minute walk away in what is now Garnet Street (formerly New Gravel Lane).

The Ship and Bladebone had a succession of tenants, one of whom, Elizabeth Crosset, was involved in an illegal practice, whereby coal whippers, who unloaded coal from the ships on the Thames, were forced to lodge in certain pubs and pay unreasonably high rents.  It is uncertain whether Turner was aware of this, although he was certainly involved in the overall running of the pub, chasing unpaid rent and arranging leases.  There are details of Turner paying for repairs to the roof, which were carried out in 1843 by the landlord Thomas Farrell.

There have been many stories about the time that Turner spent in Wapping, most of them without much factual basis.  Turner’s first biographer, Walter Thornbury, suggested that he would go to Wapping in order to visit prostitutes and make sketches of them.  This seems to have been based on comments made by Ruskin, who assumed that some of Turner’s erotic drawings were made in Wapping.  Thornbury seems unaware of The Ship and Bladebone, where Turner would have had legitimate business. 

Another story is that he installed his lover, Sophia Booth, as landlady at The Ship and Bladebone.  Her name does not appear on any documents associated with the pub and she is recorded as living, without gaps, in Margate and Deal and then with Turner in Chelsea.

After Turner’s death in 1851, his will was challenged.  When matters were settled in 1856, the pub went to a cousin, John Turner, as ‘heir at law’.  By this time, it had been abandoned and had fallen into disrepair.  The pub next passed to the lawyer, Jabez Tepper, a relation of Turner’s by marriage, who had acted for the relatives who contested the will.  The pub was demolished and, in 1868, Tepper sold the land to the Limehouse District Board of Works and a gasworks was built.  The site is now occupied by a primary school.

Sophia Booth did have an intriguing connection with Wapping.  Her younger sister, Sarah Elizabeth, lived there with her husband John Green.  I have been unable to find any connection between the Greens and The Ship and Bladebone, but this is certainly an area for further research.”

The pub in Watt Street renamed itself Turner's All Star in 1987. This may be somewhere that Turner visited, but it is not the pub that he owned. From that pub, The Ship and Bladebone is about a ten-minute walk. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Meaden, excellent write up. So, you, dear Listeners, can decide as you like. As for me, we know that the pub now known as Turner's All Star was in operation when Turner was around Wapping, and Turner did enjoy having a bit of libation, so it's likely that he popped into what would have been one of his competitors. And since 1987, the pub has taken his name. That is a tribute to the famous artist and possibly a patron from back in the day. As to whether it is the actual pub that Turner owned, I'll let that mystery be. 

Okay. Why do I like this pub so much? Let me count the ways. As soon as you walk in, you get a real neighborhood feel. Folks around the bar will always include true locals. On my last visit, I got into a conversation with a retired Porter from Smithfield Market, a very interesting fellow. The pub has kept its Victorian style, which always fits to my liking. And it's not just me. The website The Londonist covers Turner's Old Star in, as always, a well-written piece, 

“Say Wapping pubs and most people would think of the riverside pubs but stray a little inland, lose the tourist and the pearls turn into gems in some weird, confused alchemy of metaphors. Turner's Old Star isn't going to win any awards for its range of arts and craft ale, or innovative dining concepts. This is an unreformed back street boozer of a type increasingly rare this close to the London center.”

Later in the article, The Londonist does refer to the issue of whether this is indeed Turner's pub, but resolves it in a similar manner to my approach,

“With or without its legends, Turner's Old Star is a smashing pub built around a traditional wooden bar with glass panels above head height. The place is packed with an appreciative local community crowd, but very welcoming of first timers. The ale choice is small but well-kept. Quizzes, karaoke and community events keep the place buzzing. Plus, it’s always good to see there's a pool table in the corner.”

Thank you Londonist! The pub is family owned and run with a lot of pride by Paul and Bernie Drew for the last two decades. I would describe Paul as a Publican from Central Casting! Great guy there to make sure all have a good experience. I first learned about this pub when the American news program 60 Minutes did a segment on how the pubs of London were recovering from the pandemic. Turner’s All Star was one of the pubs featured and Paul was interviewed. You can see that segment video on the link to the 60 Minutes website that I put into the notes.

With that, we've come to the end of this episode - The Angel with Two Wings. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for listening. And if you're a mind to please like, thumbs up, subscribe. All that good stuff the podcasters say. See, I am trying to be a good Podcaster. You can always drop me a note at hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com 

Until next time. Cheers!