Tides, towpaths and taverns: the Thames riverside pubs

About Tides, towpaths and taverns: the Thames riverside pubs

By the ULTIMATE London Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

London’s riverside pubs trace the history of the working river: sailors’ taverns in the docks, coaching inns at the bridges and, upstream, the pubs of the rowing clubs and riverside villages.

Taverns of the working river

Downstream of London Bridge, the river was once lined with docks and wharves, and the pubs served sailors, watermen and dockers. The Prospect of Whitby at Wapping, The Mayflower at Rotherhithe and The Grapes at Limehouse survive from that world, and The Anchor on Bankside stands near the site of the Elizabethan playhouses.

Greenwich

At Greenwich, the Trafalgar Tavern opened in 1837 beside the Old Royal Naval College, within today’s World Heritage Site. Its tall windows look out across the river to Canary Wharf, and it combines well with the Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory.

On the tidal Thames, the river can be at your feet one hour and far below the next.

The western reaches

Upstream, the pubs are greener and quieter. At Hammersmith, the Blue Anchor (licensed in 1722), The Dove and The Old Ship sit along the Malls; further on, The City Barge looks over the river at Strand-on-the-Green; and at Richmond, The White Cross is known as the pub that floods. Putney’s riverside pubs face the start of the Boat Race.

Tides and timing

The Thames is tidal as far as Teddington, and the river can rise and fall several metres in a few hours. At high spring tides it covers the path outside some pubs, especially at Richmond and Strand-on-the-Green. Summer evenings are busy, and on Boat Race day the Hammersmith and Putney pubs fill early.

Our advice: walk the Thames Path from Hammersmith Bridge to Chiswick with a stop at each pub, or take an Uber Boat to Greenwich and finish at the Trafalgar Tavern; check the tide times before you go.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Tides, towpaths and taverns: the Thames riverside pubs before you go.