Ep 24 Down by the River - a River Thames Pub Crawl

Let's get a good look at the river around Tower Bridge from 3 pubs with unique views and let's start from a great nearby pub, The Anchor Tap
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 / quoted in this episode:

https://camra.org.uk/pubs/anchor-tap-london-158380

https://takecourage.info/JohnCourage.html

https://thestreetnames.com/2020/05/15/cardinal-cap-alley-to-pall-mall-bishops-brothels-and-londons-sex-related-streets/

https://www.banker-london.co.uk/

https://www.samuelpepys.pub/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d2459949-r831620784-The_Anchor_Tap-London_England.html

Intro music:

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

Photo:  George Rex

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.

Today's episode is entitled, “Down By The River.” Remember the Neil Young song by that name? I looked it up. It came out in 1969. Wow! It doesn't seem that long ago. No wonder I like historic pubs. There are even a few older than me! Okay. I picked that title because we are going to three pubs with unique views of The Thames, and while we are in the area, there's one terrific pub a half block from The Thames that we must also talk about.

Let's start with that one. The Anchor Tap at 20 Horselydown Lane, right near the south side of the Tower Bridge. The Courage brand name has long been in use when it comes to beers on tap in London. For the history of The Anchor Tap, we need to begin with the original guy with that last name, one John Courage. John Courage was a young lad from Aberdeen, Scotland. He was from a family of Huguenots. Those were French Protestants who experienced religious persecution. John's family took refuge in Scotland. Born in 1761, he came to London at age 19. He established himself by working as an agent for a Glasgow shipping firm, which traded from the Glasgow Wharf downstream of Tower Bridge.

As he looked across the river he could see Southwark. And after eight years in the agent business, he thought it would be good to diversify a bit from what he could see of that happening place across The Thames. It looked like beer would be a good business with a group of friends. He purchased The Anchor Brewhouse on Horselydown. 

Now here's where there's a bit of confusion. There was also a larger brewery just east a bit called The Anchor Brewery, and its taproom is what is now known as The Anchor Pub. At the time of John's purchase, The Anchor brewhouse that he bought was totally separate from all of that. The Anchor Brewhouse was a full brewery, although not a particularly large one. The adjacent street Shad Thames, which runs along the river's south bank, has a plaque that gives us a bit more information. 

“Little more than a year after the purchase, the first entry in the brewing book records was that John Courage had brewed 51 barrels of beer at The Anchor Brewhouse. Three separate elements Boiler House, Brewhouse, and Malt Mill, each expressing different functions in the process of beer making, are united to form The Anchor Brew House's characterful and picturesque composition.

The building is an expression of historical continuity, for brewing on the river has always been an important feature of London's Thames side. Brewing in Southwark is mentioned by Chaucer and in Horsleydown by Shakespeare.”

Okay. Thank you, plaque. I believe it is safe to assume that The Anchor Tap was The Tap Room. That is the retail outlet for what became known as The Courage Brewery.

John died at the young age of 36, but the Brewery stayed in the family until the mid-20th Century. In 1955, there was a merger with the company that owned The Anchor Brewery. Several mergers occurred between then and now, but the Courage name was always recognized as having value. Ownership is now by a subsidiary of Carlsberg Group, but the Courage brand beers, ales, stouts and lagers still are brewed and marketed, but not by The Anchor Tap.

Today it is a Samuel Smith's pub. CAMRA does a good description of what you will see when you enter the pub. Their full writeup is linked in the notes. Let me offer a couple of paragraphs, 

“Built in the early to mid-19th Century, per the source, Historic England, it was refurbished later in that century. The pub was built as a tap to the Courage Hoarsely Down Brewery, and was sold to Samuel Smith in the early 1990s.

At the front there are two small bars with genuine old fittings, at the rear, a room that looks to be in pub use for many years with hatch for service. Upstairs is what is called the dining room and consists of three small areas with modern beer fittings and two fireplaces, one being a mid-19th century marble one. Access to this upper room is from the right-hand side of the pub, via an unusual early 19th century winding staircase with stick balusters.

It goes down to a small hall at the rear of the pub, with the doors to a room and a sidebar.”

Thanks CAMRA.The pub is operated by a mother daughter team. I was going to offer my comments based on the times I've been there, but I found a well-written review that best says the points that I would make.

So let me offer that. It's from Michelle in Weymouth and was posted to TripAdvisor in 2022. 

“Timeless traditional pub with amazing service. Stumbled across this wonderful boozer when in Tower Bridge area. Not sure from the outside whether it would be welcoming to tourists. So glad we went in. Julie, the mom and Jerry, the daughter, run a very traditional pub with long term barman Mark.

They knew what everyone drank and chatted to everyone new and old. Even the 30-year regulars were friendly. So impressive when we move, this will be our regular haunt. Thanks for making our evening. Gosh, wish we had found you sooner.”

Well, I agree with Michelle. The pub gets it right. It has a feel of a local, but when you go in as a non-local you are very much welcome.

And when you're there, hoist a glass to good old John Courage. Even if it's a Sammy Smith's brew. It was John who started it all. Almost 250 years ago. Okay. Ready to roll. As you exit The Anchor Tap, and before we move on to our next pub, turn left toward the river for a half a block and you will come to the street that runs along the south side of the river. It is called Shad Thames. A bit historic this one. Let me summarize from Wiki. 

“Shad Thames is a historic riverside street next to Tower Bridge in Bermondsey, and is also the informal name for the surrounding area. The street is named as such in a 1747 map of London. The name may be a corruption of Saint John at Thames, a reference to Saint John's Church, which once stood southwest of the street, or it may be from Shad fish which could be found in the Thames.

In Victorian times, Shad Thames included the largest warehouse complex in London, completed in 1873. The warehouses stored huge quantities of tea, coffee, spices and other commodities which were unloaded and loaded onto riverboats. For this reason, the area became known as the Larder of London. During the 20th Century, the area went into decline as congestion and containerization forced shipping to unload goods further east, and the last warehouse closed in 1972. Shad Thames was regenerated in the 1980s and 1990s, when the disused but picturesque warehouses throughout the area were converted into expensive flats, many with restaurants, bars, shops, etc. on the ground floor.” 

Okay, when you're there, it may look familiar owing to its buildings, cobbled streets, riverside views and proximity to landmarks such as Tower Bridge. Shad Thames has been used as a location for many films and television programs, including Alfie, Oliver, The Elephant Man, The French Lieutenant's Woman, A Fish Called Wanda, the Bond film The World Is Not Enough, Bridget Jones Diary, and the TV series Penny Dreadful. Wow! Lots of film credits. 

After taking all that in, head over to Tower Bridge, specifically the walkway beneath the bridge as you head west. In the passageway under the bridge lies the entrance to a unique pub, The Vault, 1894. If you get there early enough, you can sit at the window seat that gives you a stellar view of the river.

You are right under the bridge and have a great view of the London skyline across on the opposite bank. While the bridge itself was completed in 1894, this pub only goes back to 2006. In my AALP System for defining a pub significance, this one is all about the first A - Architecture, not much, second A - Antiquity or LP - Legend or Personalities.

But that is enough. I can assure you that you will enjoy sipping a brewski there and enjoying the view. Let's talk about what history we do have. That's the bridge history. Tower Bridge is one of the main London icons. So how did it come about? In the second half of the 1800s, it became apparent that London Bridge was not sufficient to service the population growth the city had experienced. It was estimated that around 40% of London's population lived east of London Bridge, so a river crossing further down was needed. A committee was formed in 1875, but it took some time to get things rolling. There was a design constraint that proved to be tricky. Lots of dockage existed in the area just down from London Bridge so the new bridge could not be of the traditional fixed design, because that would restrict the ability of sailing ships to get to the docks.

Over 50 designs were submitted and even a tunnel was considered. Eventually, it was agreed that a low-level bridge with a mechanical opening would be the best way to go. Then the question what kind of opening? A swing bridge which opens to the side, or what is known as a ‘Bascule Bridge,’ which opens upward. The latter was chosen. An Act of Parliament authorizing the bridge was secured, and construction started in April of 1886.

The bridge was opened to traffic eight years later in June 1894. The bridge took a couple of hits during the World War Two bombing campaign and was offline for a time, but bounced back strong. In 1982, The Tower Bridge Exhibition opened, allowing public access to the bridge's twin towers. The long closed high-level walkways and the Victorian engine rooms.

I am sure we all have this question. Does it still function as a drawbridge? Wiki gives us the answer,

“During the first 12 months after the opening of the bridge back in 1894, the bascules (remember, those are the parts of the road that split and reach for the sky) were raised for the passage of vessels over 6000 times, an average of 17 times a day, but currently the bascules are raised only about a thousand times a year. River traffic is now much reduced, but it still takes priority over road traffic. 24-hour notice is required before opening the bridge and opening times are published in advance on the Bridge's website. One final note just in case you have a big boat, there's no charge for vessels to open the bridge.”

I hope you haven't seen enough of the river, because we're off to two more pubs that are, like The Vault, special because of their unique river views. Leaving The Vault, continue to walk east. Cross over at London Bridge and continue east to Cousin Lane, where the lane ends at the river. You will find The Banker.This is a Fuller’s pub.

Their website provides the following description,

“Serving up special views of the Thames between London Bridge and Southwark Bridge and located under the arches. The Banker is one of the city's best spots for riverside dining and drinks, a perfect balance of modern style with rustic charm. It is a stunning London pub.”

All of that is true if you get there at a time that it's not crowded.

You can sit by the windows, which are, as the website says, “Under the arches.” Those are the arches of the Cannon Street Railway Bridge. Looking to your left is London Bridge, and to the right is Southwark Bridge. And right across the river is The Anchor Pub. Now that's The Anchor, not The Anchor Tap. And of course, there's the river and the river traffic for your viewing pleasure.

London is in the tidal section of The Thames. Up country above London, The Thames is a typical freshwater river, flowing one way, draining the land, but from around London onward it is a tidal river affected by the North Sea tides. Depending on the time of year, the river tide rises and falls twice a day as much as seven meters - that's 24ft. Because the tide goes against the outflow of the freshwater from the Thames basin, it takes longer to subside - 6 to 9 hours, than it does to flow in - 4 to 5 hours. So, you might see the river flowing to the left or to the right, depending on when you visit The Banker. Either way, it's a fun experience.

The Banker has an outside dock that is great when the weather is nice. It basically runs right up to the edge of the bank. But what if you could be outside on a deck over the river? That's nice too. So, drink up and let's keep walking east for our stroll to our next destination. You can walk mostly next to the river, but at the end you'll have to divert north a bit, then east you are headed to Stew Lane and a pub called The Samuel Pepys.

As we walk down the street that the pub is on, one of your mates might ask, “Stew Lane?  Interesting name. How did that come about?” That's a good question and it has nothing to do with a hearty soup. thestreetnames.com is helpful in giving us the scoop, 

“A ‘stew’ or ‘hothouse’ were once terms for a brothel and, from the 12th century to the 17th, the banks of the Thames teemed with such houses. They tended to be on the south side but some – like this lane – were on the north bank. (Though one source says that this lane led down to the waterside embarkation point for women working in the Bankside brothels.)

The stews were licensed and regulated by the government to prevent any debauchery of the respectable wives and daughters of London and, says London historian John Stow in a somewhat judgemental fashion, “for the repair of incontinent men to the like women”.”

I will let it go at that. So, what kind of regulation rules did The Stews have to abide by?

“They could not be opened on holidays; that women of religion, or married women (presumably even if they were ‘incontinent’), could not work there; that men could not be enticed into them; that no woman could be “kept against her will that would leave her sin”; and that a woman could not “take money to lie with any man, but she lie with him all night till the morrow”. 

I think that means that there was only one customer per lady per night, allowed across The Thames from Stew Lane there is Cardinal Cap Alley, which also takes its name from one of the licensed Stews of the Bankside area. Stews on this side of the river were licensed and leased from the Bishop of Winchester, and the working women therein were known as, ‘Winchester Geese.’ Okay, I think that's a well enough bit of tawdry history. We're here at the pub anyway.

The Samuel Pepys website gives us a little background, 

“This 19th Century former Thameside tea warehouse was transformed into a pub in the 1970s.”

The Samuel Pepys is a nice pub, but like the two previous pubs, it is special because of the river view. And at this pub you can get on an outside deck that is right above the river. That's where you want to go as soon as you get inside. It doesn't have too much capacity so time your visit accordingly. The lull time between lunch and happy hour say around 2:30 or so, worked out just great for my last visit. Here you will see Southwark Bridge to your left and The Millennium Pedestrian Bridge to your right.

Right across the river is the Shakespeare's Globe Theater, a modern recreation of the original, completed in 1997. The original was about 250m from the current Globe, and was in existence from 1599 to 1644. It is thought that the first play performed there was my favorite. Julius Caesar. Heady stuff to contemplate while enjoying the air out on the deck, right?

Okay, dear Listeners, there you have it. As Neil Young might say, we've been, “Down by the river.” I'll spare you my poor imitation of Neil's unique voice. We've covered three pubs with terrific river views and The Anchor Tap thrown in to boot. I hope it's been fun for you. Please remember to like, subscribe, thumbs up, and all of that as you see fit.

My email is in the notes hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com Send me a line if you'd like then. Until next time. Cheers!