Throughout planning of the trip, I referred to Alistair von Lion\u2019s excellent book East End Pubs, with superb photography, published last year by Hoxton Mini Press. According to East End Pubs, the Brown Bear is a place where \u2018the social history of the East End oozes from the ground\u2019. The pub is close enough to the old East End to draw in a steady custom of local drinkers at the weekend. When I visited, Timothy Taylor Landlord and Black Sheep Bitter were on draught. Its Edwardian interior is highly rated by the local CAMRA branch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other side of the railway lines, just off Cable Street and past the museum dedicated to the notorious (and, around here, ubiquitous) Jack the Ripper, is the legendary Wilton\u2019s Music Hall<\/a>. It is in Shadwell according to WhatPub.<\/p>\n\n\n This nineteenth century building was restored over a long period from dereliction. Both the music hall and the bar have been renovated using a policy of \u2018conservative repair\u2019, which means that, after restoration work is completed, areas of the building are left undecorated with a unique \u2018stripped down\u2019 appearance that\u2019s a little reminiscent of the fa\u00e7ades of ancient monuments. It’s principally a place to see shows these days but non-theatregoers can visit the Mahogany Bar, which is open to the public prior to matinee and evening performances.<\/p>\n\n\n As well as the impressive architecture, the bar serves real ale (or aims to). On one visit there were three well kept Adnams beers available on handpump. On a second visit, on a Saturday evening, disappointingly they had run out of cask ale completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Around the corner on Dock Street, in Tower Hill according to WhatPub, is a pub with the atmosphere of a local far removed from the global financial centre up the road. The Sir Sydney Smith<\/a> is a friendly place with a front bar facing on to the street and, tucked behind the servery, a back bar with bare brick walls and dartboards.<\/p>\n\n\n The walls are lined with photographs detailing episodes from the local area\u2019s rich history. The pub itself is over two hundred years old. On my two visits I drank Deuchars IPA from Belhaven (Greene King) and Stiff Upper Lip from By the Horns Brewing Co.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Heading towards the river and crossing the busy junction with the Highway, the area changes from narrow, crowded streets to relatively recent redevelopment. This is close to the site which most people of a certain age associate with the name Wapping: the infamous News International Wapping plant built in the late 1980s, although now also demolished. When the nearby St Katherine\u2019s and Wapping Docks were in their heyday this locality was dominated by warehouses and probably boasted a fair few pubs, all now long gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The walk along Vaughan and Thomas More Streets must be one of the most publess parts of central London (don\u2019t worry, we will make up for it later). If you\u2019re very thirsty, there is a pub of sorts hidden within the Waitrose shopping centre complex on the left: the Moretown Belle<\/a>. It\u2019s a curious place with staff on the doors, even on a Saturday lunchtime. Inside is an enormous, modern space with super-gigantic TV screens showing sports. There was a choice of one real ale, Fuller\u2019s London Pride. It was in decent condition although the staff were rather keen on delivering it via table service. Not far away is the unashamedly touristy Dickens Inn in the regenerated St Katherine\u2019s Dock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-2-651x1024.png\"){kind=spacer}
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