Greenwich & Southwark

After we’d finished our lunchtime meal of pie and mash, Matt and I decided to have a look around Greenwich. Turning left out of Goddard’s Pie & Mash Shop, we could see the masts and rigging of the Cutty Sark, looming above the streets and houses. We headed off in the direction of the preserved tea clipper, a walk that took us down to the embankment, overlooking the River Thames.  

The Cutty Sark herself was looking resplendent, and certainly different from she did 10 years ago, when we had last passed down that way. The vessel then was in the final stages of being restored, following the fire that had broken out several years earlier – ironically in the early stages of restoration.

We stopped at the embankment, watching the modern-day clippers at work. These are the sleek, and very fast motorboats, operated by Uber, which ply up and down the Thames. I’ve never been on one, but after seeing them in action, and the speed at which they accelerate away from the jetty, I will treat myself to a ride, the next time I’m down that way. 

After looking at the river, we took a wander back through Greenwich Market, which is a covered indoor market that is open seven days a week. It goes without saying that we were heading to a pub, and the one I had in mind was an old favourite, the King Richard I. Situated towards the top of the not especially steep Royal Hill, the Richard I is an attractive old Young’s pub, in an equally attractive part of Greenwich. 

 Brewery history buffs will be interested to learn that the pub is often referred to as Tolly’s, in tribute to its former owners, Tolly Cobbold of Ipswich. At one time, Tolly’s had a subsidiary brewery in Walthamstow, which is the reason for them having a small, tied estate in the capital. Both breweries are long gone, but Young’s proved sympathetic new owners when they took over in the early 1970’s. The pub has changed considerably since my last visit in 2010, but it still retains the long and narrow bar area I remember from that time.

Another difference is the extension of the Richard I into the former Greenwich Union pub next door. According to WhatPub, this alteration took place in March this year, so it really is a very recent change. The Greenwich Union was owned by local independent, Meantime, but since being acquired by Japanese brewer, Asahi, the company seem to have lost their way. I’m digressing here, but I had exactly the same conversation on Monday evening, at a beer-related function I attended at another brewery in London.

More about that, another time, and returning to Tolly’s for a moment, a large conservatory has been added at the rear of the pub, and this overlooks a spacious and well-laid out garden. It was here that we retired with our drinks, a pint of Young’s Ordinary – now called "Original" for me, and some international lager for Matt. We only stayed for one at the Richard I, and after finishing our drinks headed back to the station. 

After arriving at London Bridge, we walked the short distance back towards Tower Bridge, in order to visit a pub, we had missed on our previous visit to London, last October. This was the Anchor Tap, situated in Horselydown Lane, in the shadow of the former Courage Brewery. The latter was known as the Anchor Brewery, and the attractive little, multi-room pub was the “Tap,” for the brewery workers.

The brewery closed a couple of decades ago, and the buildings have been converted into a series of upmarket apartments. Much of the pub’s trade vanished when the brewery closed, but the Tap acquired a new lease of life when it was acquired by Samuel Smith’s of Tadcaster. As many beer lovers will know, Sam’s operate quite a few pubs in the capital, most of which have been sympathetically restored.  The same applies to the Anchor Tap, and it is now a very pleasant, back-street boozer, which manages to attract trade from the surrounding housing developments.

In common with other Sam Smith’s houses, Old Brewery Bitter was the only cask ale stocked, but I have to say it was rather good, so much so that I scored it at 4.0 on Untappd. Matthew had a pint of the brewery’s Pure Brewed Lager and was surprised at how strong it was. Despite autocratic owner, Humphrey Smith’s edict, banning the use of all electronic devices (including cameras and mobile phones), in the company’s pubs, I managed to sneak in a few cheeky shots of the Anchor Tap’s interior. I’m not sure how much of the inside is original and how much is repro, but to me the Tap seemed a charming little pub, that is well worth a visit.

As with Tolly’s, we just had the one pint, before taking a pleasant stroll back to London Bridge, via the Queen’s Walk Embankment. This area, which overlooks the Thames towards the Tower of London, was heaving with tourists, visitors, and office workers, all enjoying the summer sunshine. For us it was a pleasant end to an equally pleasant day out in the big city, and something we must repeat before too long.