Ep 19 Ship to Ship - London's Strangest Historic Pubs - Split Buildings, Underground Vaults & A Floating Bar

Visiting 3 unique establishments have us starting and ending at a ship  with a cool subterranean in between

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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:

Tweetys Pubs:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o417U85icb8&t=226s

https://thenudge.com/london-bars/gordons-wine-bar/

https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/72/tattershall-castle

Mr Van Sickle’s History:  https://www.gordonswinebar.com/propeller/uploads/2020/04/History-Van-Sickle.pdf

Gordon’s Website History: https://www.gordonswinebar.com/history/

Intro music:

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

Photo:  Farr Better Photos

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. 

I'm calling this episode “Ship to Ship” because we start with a ship and end with a ship. Our first stop today is The Ship and Shovell at One and Three Craven Passage. This is near the Embankment tube stop and of course Victoria Embankment and Charing Cross station. The pub is unique in that it occupies two buildings on either side of Craven Passage.

It is thought to be the only pub in all of London that is split in half. How did this happen? Let's see. When you check the sources, you'll find that there are differing details about this pub's history. But there's general agreement about where it originated and where it's ended up today. So, let's start with the agreed upon beginning.

Life began as two modest houses, terraced and close enough to the river, so that the most southerly house had a clear view of the river from a porthole-like window. It was thought that these houses were used as accommodation for dock workers. So, the porthole window was useful in keeping an eye on The Thames to be alerted to approaching vessels that might need their services. Then at some point, one or maybe both houses became a pub. I find that the YouTube Pub Crawler Tweedy’s Pubs seems to have the best research account, so I will draw from that version of history. His YouTube video is linked in the notes. 

“The earliest reference to the pub began here in 1781, and that was likely the result of the conversion of just one of the houses, 

“It was probably originally named The Ship and Shovel. Loading coal on ships docked in the river was a common activity in this area, and those that performed this task worked up a powerful thirst that would make good business for any local drinkery.” 

Also, The Ship and Shovell was not an unusual name. Tweedy Pubs reports that at the time there were at least three pubs in London. Blogger Ann Lafferty relates that the pub goes back to 1852. It's clear that the architecture of the pub is traditional Victorian. So perhaps the reference is to the date of the renovation of an existing pub to the standards of the time. In other words, Victorian architecture. At some point, an additional ‘l’ was tacked on to the last word in the pub's name Shovel. This changed the reference from a scoop for coal loading to a famous Admiral of the 17th century, Sir Cloudesly Shovell. We'll talk about the Admiral in a bit. Tweedy Pubs reports that what it's now the smaller second part of the pub served as a shop. Even as late as the 1970s, and was only fitted as a Victorian style pub in relatively recent times.

So, it is only the larger side that has true Victorian ancestry. In 1998 both sections of the pub were acquired by Hall and Woodhouse, a family-owned Brewer and pub company with roots back to 1777. The two pubs were united, both physically by the construction of a tunnel underneath Craven Passage, and the name both being called The Ship and Shovell, with two ls.

Today both sides are pleasures to enter. Immediately you get a nice Victorian feel. The small site even has a four-person snug. The tunnel appears to be just for pub staff. We patrons must cross Craven Passage to go from one to the other. One reference refers to a subterranean section for customers, but on my recent visit I didn't find anything like that. But in fairness, at the time I didn't know to ask. So, you might put that question to the Barman as he or she pulls your pint. The pub has pictures of Admiral Shovell on its outside sign and in the pub, so management clearly wants you to know about the pub's namesake. Well then, let's dive into that. Cloudesly Shovell lived from 1650 to 1707. He was born into what is described as, “A family of property and distinction in Norfolk.” 

He had an unusual first name, didn't he? It was derived from his maternal grandmother's maiden name. He went to sea as a cabin boy under the care of a paternal relative who was an Admiral, and from that began working his way up the organization.

He was a Lieutenant in 1675, and distinguished himself in battles with the Barbary pirates, eventually receiving a gold medal from King Charles The Second and a letter of record attesting to the king's satisfaction with his exploits. This letter was penned by none other than that famous pub lover and Royal Navy Civil Servant, Samuel Pepys. He continued to win acclaim in various sea battles, eventually rising to Admiral and then on to Commander in Chief of the Navy during the War of Spanish Succession in 1707, but that's when his luck ran out.

Returning to England from a campaign at Toulon, France, four ships of his fleet were destroyed when they hit the rocks of Scilly islands in late October 1707. Those islands are located just beyond the most southern tip of Britain, so he was almost home. The lost ships included Shovell’s flagship, the one he was on. Severe weather conditions were blamed, along with other factors, including navigator's inability to accurately calculate the longitude errors in the available charts, and inadequate compasses. Between 1400 and 2000 sailors were lost, including the Admiral and his two stepsons. Shovell’s body was found on the beach of Saint Mary's Island, seven miles from where he shipwrecked. He was initially buried on the island, but subsequently and by Royal Decree, his body was exhumed and brought to London for interment at Westminster. After the disaster, key changes were made, including improved charts and navigational instruments, enhanced training and likely most importantly, the establishment of The Board of Longitude.

The Board was charged with finding a more reliable method of determining longitude. Significant advances resulted, including the invention of The Maritime Chronometer. Sorry for your loss, Admiral, but advances were made as a result of your misfortune, and you were honored by burial at Westminster. But if I might opine, we have an even greater honor for you, Sir. A pub now bears your name. R.I.P, Sir Cloudesly. 

One final historical point, which really has nothing to do with the pub, but around the corner, about a one-minute walk away at 36 Craven Street is a plaque stating that Ben Franklin,

“Lived briefly in a house on this site before leaving for America in 1775.”

During this time, he worked as a colonial agent for the British colonies in North America, and it's not clear that the pub was in operation during Ben's time, but if it was, it would have been his local.

So, that is the rather unique The Ship and Shovell. Very much worth a visit. Our next point of discussion is a two-minute walk away back down Craven Passage to Villiers Street. As we stroll that way. One might ask, who was this Craven guy that the street was named after? It was William Craven, First Earl of Craven who was born into privilege in 1608.

Family status was obtained by his father, also named William Craven. A poor country boy who came to London, made his fortune and eventually became Lord Mayor of London when young Craven was only two years old. The son, who eventually became The Earl of Craven was Oxford educated, had a noble military career, and married a British Princess, but he really shown when he became a favorite in the Restoration Court of Charles The Second. Samuel Pepys notes that Craven chaired various committee meetings for the Royals. Wiki tells us that Sammy was, 

“Rather shocked by his bawdy language, which Pepys thought improper in a councilor, though perhaps natural in an old soldier.”

The Earl earned the lasting respect and gratitude of the people of London during The Great Plague of 1665, when, unlike the great majority of noblemen who fled the country, he remained in London, helping to maintain order and donating property for burial grounds. He lived to the ripe old age of 88. Way to go, Billy Craven. 

After you reach the T of Craven Passage in Villiers Street, turn right and look to your left for number 47. If you reach Embankment tube station, you've gone too far. At number 47 resides Gordon's Wine Bar.

I know, I know, this is a podcast about Historic Pubs of London so how did a wine bar slip in there? Well, this place is really too cool for words and is a must visit for any of my pub crawls. I will go as far to say as I don't think I could find a historic pub lover that wouldn't also have a passion for Gordon's. 

Upon entering, you take steps down into a subterranean section with a bar at one end. Here you can order various wines and sherries. I always have the Amontillado, the perfect pairing. The dark red sherry and the dark underground locale all reminiscent of the famous Poe story, The Cast of Amontillado. On the left side of the room is the entrance to a vaulted room. thenudge.comprovides the following well-written description,

“A crepuscular, subterranean semi-circular cave carved from bedrock and lit by candlelight.”

The staff will direct you to a table where you can enjoy a drink and supplement it with a cheeseboard or other snacks such as paté with fresh baked bread or peppers stuffed with Feta cheese. Wow! You are truly in a time machine, only disturbed by the rumbling of trains from time to time as they take their own subterranean passage to the nearby tube station.

The front page of the websitetells us that Gordon's is the oldest wine bar in London, established in 1890, but there's far more history than that. Have another sip of your Amontillado and let's get into it. Gordon's website provides one of the best histories of any operating establishment around. It references a document entitled “Site and Building History,” prepared by a Mr. Van Sickle of Basingstoke. I'll summarize from that. 

The area that Gordon notes now sits on can be traced back to 1237, when it was a part of Norwich Place. Named so because it was owned by the Bishop of Norwich. In 1536, it fell into the hands of the Duke of Suffolk. Remember, this was during Henry The Eighth’s reign when he was playing Monopoly with what had been church properties - Norwich House, Suffolk Inn, and of course the name was changed to Suffolk Place.

The digs passed to the Archbishop of York 20 years later, and the main building became known as, you guessed it, York House. York House burnt down in 1684 and was rebuilt in 1687, and it received its new tenant, one Samuel Pepys, who occupied the place for a decade and a half until 1701. Almost 100 years after Sammy checked out.

The site was redeveloped to become a seed warehouse. To be clear, today's Gordon's just occupies the basement of the building. The floors above were put to various uses over the years. Mr. Van Sickle takes on the question we all have. Okay, interesting history of the house, but what about the subterranean vault? Paraphrasing from his paper, he says it is not known if the foundations or vaults from York House were used for the first house of the 1670s, nor the rebuilt house of Pepys’ time. Given the nature of the various buildings, however, it seems likely that the existing vaults date to the late 17th century. 

Okay. His paper shows that he has been thorough in his research, so I will take his estimate that the vault goes back to the 1600s. The seed company occupied the building for almost another century until 1880, when it was redeveloped as a rooming house and shops. Rudyard Kipling famously stayed here from 1889 to 1891, and it is said that he wrote his first novel, here, The Light That Failed. The building was then known as Embankment Chambers, and there were lots of tenants besides Kipling in the rooms and floors. In 1890. Angus Gordon, Wine Merchant, became a tenant and thus established the present-day Gordon's point of origin.

At least one of the other tenants got into a bit of trouble. In 1923, Alfred Joyce was convicted and fined for keeping a brothel at this address. Evidently, what was called “Disorderly Houses” were not uncommon at other addresses on the street, and particularly on Craven Street. But things were cleaned up soon after Mr. Joyce's convictions. Offices were developed in 1925, and the building was again upgraded in 1950 and renamed Kipling House.

As for the wine bar itself, the website tells us that, 

“Angus Gordon, nicknamed ‘Staff’ - a Free Vintner, started Gordon's Wine Bar in 1890. His son took over after him and his grandson after him. All three had the same name.” 

So what is a Free Vintner? That is a person that sells wine without a license, a privilege granted by the Worshipful Company of Vintners. Basically, that's the Vintners Guild. The Vintners were granted the right to sell wine without a license by Edward the Third's charter, way back in the 1300s. Did King Eddy do this out of the goodness of his heart? Well, not exactly. This was the result of the Vintners lending money to Edward the Third, who was unable to repay the loan forward to 1972.

Louis Gordon, a former chairman of a Sherry importing firm, bought the wine bar from the grandson of the Founder, Angus. Although having the same last name, Louis is not related to the founding Gordon family. Louis passed away in 2002 and his wife Wendy and son Simon took over management. The fine establishment we have today is a testament to their good stewardship of this London treasure.

Check it out when you can, and, for some reason, if sitting in the vault doesn't suit you, you can partake the outside tables on the side that borders Victoria Embankment Gardens. But don't look for me there. I love sipping my drink in the vault. So far today, we've covered a couple of different kinds of drinkers. A pub split into two buildings and a subterranean wine bar.

Let's wrap up with one more unique boozer. Right close. A five-minute walk to the river. Our second ship of the day. See, I told you at the beginning we'd go from ship to ship. Docked permanently along Victorian Embankment is a ship converted to what is self-identified as, “The pub on the Thames.” This is The Tattershall Castle named for a 15th century castle in Lincolnshire.

You take a walk away from the bank and end up right on the deck of the ship, with the bar to your left. You are immediately struck by the great views of London Eye’s Ferris Wheel and Westminster. So how did this vessel become a pub? Not many pubs can say that they are noted in the nationalhistoricships.org.uk,but this one can and its history is summarized there.

“Built in 1934 up north in Hartlepool for a London and North Eastern Railway company, Tattersall Castle is a paddle steamer with a steel hull and a triple expansion steam reciprocating engine. She was a passenger ferry on the river, humbler between Hull and New Holland, with a passenger capacity of 1050. She sailed on this route up to eight times a day until her retirement in 1973. The Tattershall Castle was used briefly during the Second World War as a tethering vessel for barrage balloons in the Humber Estuary.” 

Point of Information. Barrage balloons were used as defense against aerial attack.

“The ship returned to duty ferrying troops and munitions, and she was one of the first civilian vessels to be equipped with radar. Her postwar service on the Humber Ferry continued until 1973, when she was laid up. In 1976, she was sold to become a floating art and conference center on the Thames. In 1981, she was sold to Chef and Brewer Group, retrofitted and reopened as a pub and restaurant on London's Victoria Embankment the following year. Further refits were carried out in the subsequent years, consistent with her new purpose as a pub and restaurant. Larger windows were cut into the forward lounge on the port side, and the paddle wheels were removed. Her original engines are still in place and can be viewed behind glass by visitors”.

After all those refits, today's pub is a joy. Sipping a brewski on the deck on a nice day is a real pleasure. But don't miss exploring below the deck a bit. There's a dining room and as the historical write up says, a viewing opportunity of a big steam engine that powered the vessel.

The Tattershall Castle opens daily at 11 a.m., so you can take a break from your Westminster sightseeing and grab a pint in a great setting. 

So that brings us to the end of another episode. Three atypical establishments today, all with history and unique charm. I hope you enjoyed it. Please subscribe, like, thumbs up or whatever you feel like.

I think that's what I'm supposed to remind you to do. I'm still getting the hang of this pub casting business, you know. You can drop me a line if you feel like it at hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com. 

Thanks again for listening. And until next time, Cheers!