The Prospect of Whitby

Dating to around 1520, The Prospect of Whitby has the strongest claim to being London's oldest riverside pub — though the Mayflower in Rotherhithe disputes this, and neither claim survives much scrutiny. It was originally called The Pelican, then The Devil's Tavern, a name it earned from its clientele of river thieves, smugglers, and pirates. Execution Dock was nearby; convicted pirates were hanged at the low-water mark and left until three tides had washed over them. The pub burned down in the early 1800s and was rebuilt, then renamed after a Whitby coal ship that used to moor alongside. The stone floor may be original Tudor. Pepys drank here. Turner painted the Thames from the first floor in 1825. Whistler came back repeatedly in the 1860s. The pewter-topped bar catches the afternoon light in a way that makes you understand why painters kept showing up.

There's been a tavern here since around 1520. It was originally called The Pelican, then The Devil's Tavern — named for its clientele of smugglers, thieves, and river pirates. The current name comes from a Tyne collier ship that used to moor alongside. The 400-year-old stone floor survives from the original building; everything above it was rebuilt after a fire in the early nineteenth century. Samuel Pepys drank here. Turner and Whistler sketched the views from the terrace. A hangman's noose hangs over the river as a nod to Execution Dock, where Captain Kidd was hanged in 1701 and left on display for three years. We sat on that terrace for longer than we planned — it's one of those pubs where you order a second pint before you've decided to.