Metropolitan London has around 7,000 public houses – an average of 25 pubs per square mile. No other capital city in the world matches this density. It’s not surprising that the London pub is such an institution at home and abroad!
Pubs take their name from being private houses licensed to sell beer to the public. Licensing them was a job creation scheme introduced when unemployment was high after victory in the Napoleonic Wars and the troops demobbed. The Beerhouse Act 1830 was introduced by the Prime Minister of the day, and victor at the Battle of Waterloo, the Duke of Wellington. It permitted anyone to apply for a licence to brew and sell beer from their home – from a public order perspective, it wasn’t an entirely satisfactory situation!
Alcohol consumption has been around long before 1830. From the Georgian period (i.e., 1714–1830) its basic form was an alehouse selling only beer. An upgrade was the tavern, having a wider range of drinks such as wine, and a meal. And a coaching inn was a popular station to rest, feed and water horses during a long journey.
The Glorious Revolution in 1688 introduced gin from Holland – the favourite tipple of the new Dutch King William III of England. War with France had restricted the supply of wine and, in any case, its consumption was seen as unpatriotic. With gin, alcohol acquired its negative reputation – as compared to good old ‘healthy’ beer, immortalised by Hogarth‘s satirical prints: ‘Gin Lane’ and ‘Beer Street’. Port was also introduced around this time by Portuguese allies in Lisbon.
Pubs were part and parcel of the expansion of London – the population of London grew to six million in 1900 (from only one million a hundred years earlier). Acting as accommodation for the navvies and construction workers, pubs were often the first building in a development – accounting for why so many are located on corners, being an edge of the plot.
Because pubs are ubiquitous in the capital, a pub can always be found near a place of historical significance. This book selects some key moments in the history of London, from Roman times to the modern day, and suggests a popular pub nearby to savour the moment – reliving the history with a drink in hand! It is hoped the reader will visit many of the locations and in so doing experience not only some of London’s best pubs, but also see where the principal historical events took place.
On a prosperous wind
In 1620, the Mayflower started its journey to the New World. The Mayflower left Rotherhithe under the command of Captain Christopher Jones with around 30 passengers. It sailed to Southampton for supplies and more passengers, also picking up leading puritan and future governor of Plymouth Colony, William Bradford. On 6 September 1620, Jones with 102 passengers and 30 crew members finally set sail across the Atlantic Ocean – on ‘a prosperous wind’ in the words of Bradford. All were intent on escaping Anglican England – and the concept that the monarch could be head of the church. After nearly two months, land was first sighted off Cape Cod and strong winter seas forced anchorage at Plymouth Rock – further north than the intended destination of more temperate Virginia. The Pilgrim Fathers had arrived in America, establishing Plymouth Colony.
Whilst here, do visit the nearby Brunel Museum in Railway Avenue – showcasing the shaft of the first tunnel known to have been constructed successfully underneath a navigable river. Built by Marc Brunel it connects Rotherhithe with Wapping and is still in use by trains today. Descend the Victorian spiral iron staircase and marvel at this engineering feat of 1843, described as the Eighth Wonder of the World when it opened. Today, near the tunnel at Rotherhithe is a commemorative plaque erected by the American Civil Engineers and the British Institution of Civil Engineers – it celebrates Brunel’s tunnel as one of the most important civil engineering sites in the world.
The Mayflower pub in Rotherhithe village is near the spot (30 metres downstream where a plaque marks the exact place) that the Pilgrim Fathers berthed the Mayflower, before setting sail in 1620. Originally built in 1550 and called The Shippe Inn, then the Spread Eagle, the pub was renamed The Mayflower in 1956. In this smart and historic place, sign the ‘descendants book’, leaving your permanent mark in history. It is also the only pub licensed to sell US postage stamps!
Downstream from The Mayflower is a monument to the embarkation point of the earlier Virginia Quay settlers, under Captains Christopher Newport and John Smith. There were three ships in the flotilla: the Susan Constant, the Godspeed and the Discovery. Arriving in America in 1607, the puritan settlers established Jamestown, Virginia as the first (permanent) English colony in North America. Despite challenging conditions and a dwindling population, tobacco plants (from seeds in North Carolina) thrived. More settlers arrived and a tobacco-based colony was established. Astonishingly, British exports of tobacco, sugar and fish from its American colonies would soon outstrip England’s traditional exports of wool and tin. The new Virginia Quay monument was completed in 1999, comprising a bronze plaque and stonework from former memorials.
Did you know? It’s well known that the life of Captain John Smith (leader of the fledging colony) was saved by the Native American, Pocahontas – but it’s less well known that she married the tobacco planter John Rolfe. As Rebecca Rolfe, she chose to return to England where, fêted, she became central to raising ‘inward investment’ for Jamestown! Pocahontas died at Gravesend (at the age of 21) and is buried at the local Church of St George.
From ‘The Pub Lover’s Guide to London‘ by Callum Moy (White Owl, RRP £14.99). Callum Moy is a consultant and lecturer in management and a history writer and photographer. A qualified guide for London, he owns the travel and history website www.essentialldn.com. He lives with his wife, Sarah, in London and Madrid.
Published: 12th August 2024
