Derelict East London Pubs
This section is now divided up into 4 pages. This page covers the pubs that are still empty/derelict. Other pics of derelict East London pubs can be found on this website at:
East London Pubs from Dereliction to Demolition
East London Pubs - From Dead Pubs to Conversion
Derelict East London Pubs Back From the Brink
East London Pubs from Dereliction to Demolition
East London Pubs - From Dead Pubs to Conversion
Derelict East London Pubs Back From the Brink
The Cauliflower - Ilford IG1
The Cauliflower - Ilford IG1
Once described by local press as the 'handsomest hotel in Essex' this building opened in 1900 and replaced an earlier public house of the same name on the same site. The Cauliflower was originally built on an old market and cauliflower patch. According to Historic England the building is listed at Grade II as it is 'a good example of the opulent late-C19 gin palace style with an imposing street presence;the ground floor, although now open plan, retains extensive decorative detail and fittings. It is of particular note for the servery which, complete with bar counter, stillion and integral glazed-in publican’s office, is a lavish and remarkably intact survival'
The pub hosted a Dr Feelgood gig in 2002 (by then of course featuring none of the original members) and Bad Manners in 2008 and many local and tribute acts over the years. Previously people have stated that the Small Faces and Ian Dury & Inspiral Carpets all played here early in their careers but I cannot find any proof of them playing here although I will be happy to provided with copies of flyers, ads, etc
Another story doing the rounds is that a ghostly apparition of a drowned local girl appeared at the leaving party for Mr and Mrs Hart and their daughter Eva, that was held there prior to their emigration to Canada in 1912, warning them not to take the trip. This disturbed many of the guests but Mr Hart dismissed it as nonsense. Two weeks later Mr Hart lost his life when the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage, although Mrs Hart and their daughter Eva, who has a Wetherspoon pub named after her in nearby Chadwell Heath, survived.
After closure in 2013 the pub was restored in 2014 but closed again after a fire in July 2018 and due to only being minor damage was supposed to reopen by the end of 2018 but it still remains closed down leading to local speculation that it may never reopen. Meanwhile the car park to the side has been subject to flytipping plus two red buses and a car, all three of which are easily accessible and appear to being used by drug addicts. They also appeared to be used as public toilets judging by the smell and evidence of faeces in and around the vehicles.
The pub hosted a Dr Feelgood gig in 2002 (by then of course featuring none of the original members) and Bad Manners in 2008 and many local and tribute acts over the years. Previously people have stated that the Small Faces and Ian Dury & Inspiral Carpets all played here early in their careers but I cannot find any proof of them playing here although I will be happy to provided with copies of flyers, ads, etc
Another story doing the rounds is that a ghostly apparition of a drowned local girl appeared at the leaving party for Mr and Mrs Hart and their daughter Eva, that was held there prior to their emigration to Canada in 1912, warning them not to take the trip. This disturbed many of the guests but Mr Hart dismissed it as nonsense. Two weeks later Mr Hart lost his life when the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage, although Mrs Hart and their daughter Eva, who has a Wetherspoon pub named after her in nearby Chadwell Heath, survived.
After closure in 2013 the pub was restored in 2014 but closed again after a fire in July 2018 and due to only being minor damage was supposed to reopen by the end of 2018 but it still remains closed down leading to local speculation that it may never reopen. Meanwhile the car park to the side has been subject to flytipping plus two red buses and a car, all three of which are easily accessible and appear to being used by drug addicts. They also appeared to be used as public toilets judging by the smell and evidence of faeces in and around the vehicles.
The Builders Arms, High Street, Stratford, E15
The White Horse - Chadwell Heath, Romford, RM6
The White Horse in Chadwell Heath, Romford, RM6
More pubs have closed down in Barking and Dagenham in recent years than any other borough in London, according to data from the Inter-Departmental Business Register published in 2018. Between 2001 and 2017 the borough lost 25 pubs - a fall of 56%. With just 20 remaining the borough also has the least amount of pubs in London. Note to avoid confusion: Chadwell Heath is postally a part of Romford but administratively it is in the borough of Barking and Dagenham.
Drinks have been served on this site since the 17th century. The White Horse was a former coaching inn, on what was known as the Great Essex Road, with stables to the rear (more recently used as a function room) and a blacksmiths. Some of this existing building is from the early 19th century but underwent considerable reconstruction at the end of that century. Its claim to fame was that it was said to the only pub in the country to have its own set of traffic lights in order to exit the car park onto the busy main road.
The pub closed in 2017 and the site which includes a large car park and gardens which in total is the best part of an acre went on-sale for £4 million. The development company want to retain and reopen the pub alongside approximately 50 new homes.
Drinks have been served on this site since the 17th century. The White Horse was a former coaching inn, on what was known as the Great Essex Road, with stables to the rear (more recently used as a function room) and a blacksmiths. Some of this existing building is from the early 19th century but underwent considerable reconstruction at the end of that century. Its claim to fame was that it was said to the only pub in the country to have its own set of traffic lights in order to exit the car park onto the busy main road.
The pub closed in 2017 and the site which includes a large car park and gardens which in total is the best part of an acre went on-sale for £4 million. The development company want to retain and reopen the pub alongside approximately 50 new homes.
Plaistow, E13 - The Army & Navy
Plaistow, E13 - The Army & Navy (2019)
This pub in New Barn Street was a decent local boozer when I visited it a couple of times to watch some live music acts there in the early 2000s. A good place to watch the football on TV (as long as you supported West Ham) though in 2014 the landlady was handed a £12k fine by Thames Magistrates Court after being convicted for showing Sky Sports programmes illegally in her premises.
The pub hit the cinema screens in 2016 when Sacha Baron Cohen's spy spoof Grimsby was filmed here. Plaistow doubles as the NE town & the Army & Navy plays The Trawler – proclaiming the top secret agent’s return with a banner across the front reading “Welcome home Grimsby’s very own spy Shh!” The block of flats (Stubbs Point) next door also features, with characters shouting and throwing things from the windows.
Back to the real world the Army and Navy closed down following a brawl on St Patrick's Day in 2016 which resulted in the stabbing of 3 men, one of them being fatal. Reece Hussain, 22, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at the Old Bailey for the manslaughter of 29-year-old Edward Stokes. Tributes to Stokes can still be seen outside the pub.
Newham Council have approved for demolition of the existing public house and adjacent garage court and the erection of two new buildings comprising a four storey block and a three storey block of self-contained apartments to provide 25 residential units.
The pub hit the cinema screens in 2016 when Sacha Baron Cohen's spy spoof Grimsby was filmed here. Plaistow doubles as the NE town & the Army & Navy plays The Trawler – proclaiming the top secret agent’s return with a banner across the front reading “Welcome home Grimsby’s very own spy Shh!” The block of flats (Stubbs Point) next door also features, with characters shouting and throwing things from the windows.
Back to the real world the Army and Navy closed down following a brawl on St Patrick's Day in 2016 which resulted in the stabbing of 3 men, one of them being fatal. Reece Hussain, 22, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at the Old Bailey for the manslaughter of 29-year-old Edward Stokes. Tributes to Stokes can still be seen outside the pub.
Newham Council have approved for demolition of the existing public house and adjacent garage court and the erection of two new buildings comprising a four storey block and a three storey block of self-contained apartments to provide 25 residential units.
The Doctor Johnson - Clayhall, Barkingside. IG5The Doctor Johnson public house was built in 1934 with multiple bars with separate ‘off sales’ as part of the wave of 1930s commercial optimism that accompanied the abortive proposals to transform the nearby Fairlop Airfield into an international airport, and to serve the new housing that was then being built in the area. It was to have been on a main road to Romford - at a roundabout, hence the curved frontage - but the alignment of the "main road" was changed when Woodford Ave. and Clayhall Ave. were built, leaving it somewhat isolated. The pub closed in 2010 after a long running legal dispute between the pub company and its tenants. In May 2014 the pub was squatted by a group called Suspenses Property Guardians who wanted to transform "empty, free and public spaces to learn, train, live, work and entertain".However they left after only 6 days after unsuccessful attempt to do a deal with the original tenant. Tesco has applied to transform the derelict Grade II-listed building into a store and residential development.Though some locals are arguing that the site should be used for a community facility and say that the area has already got plenty of adjacent local shops plus the major supermarkets are only a 5 minute drive away. |
Detail above main entrance
Up on the roof
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CANNING TOWN E16 - THE ANCHOR
The Anchor 2003
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The Anchor 2016
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First featured when this website began back in 2003 the Anchor in Canning Town these days is little more than a facade
This one time street corner pub now stands alone after 1980s demolition of surrounding buildings. After a revenge attack against the landlord in the late 1990s and then a murder in 2001 the pub closed down. Various planning applications were put forward and refused firstly for conversion into a hotel and bar, then a lap dancing club when Newham Council denied the plans in 2006 due to the uproar from the community in the area. The location of pub is directly opposite a Primary school. Then there were various applications to convert the place into student flats which kept getting refused until I believe a plan was eventually approved for conversion into 30+ flats a few years ago. Not sure whether developers stuck to the planning permission or not but the place was then gutted leaving just 3 exterior walls and the gent's urinal. As you can see from the photographs below a new floor was put in though work was abandoned for a few years until continuing in late 2016.
A photograph in the "Vanishing East End Through Time" book by Megan Hopkinson shows an undated picture of the pub under the name of the Golden Crown. I would guess this was late 1980s/early 90s judging by the partial view of the car parked outside.
James Hunt writes to Derelict London: "There was a story about a guy that was murdered in there not long before it closed down some people think that the murder was the reason for it closing. Apparently the was a couple of guys that walked in the bar one afternoon, they were looking for someone. The guy the were looking for was playing pool. The guy that were looking for him spotted him and walked over to him as he was just about to take a shot, so the guy was bent over the table, so one of the guys that was looking for him pull out a knife and stabbed him up the ass, and killed him. The bar closed not long after that."
This one time street corner pub now stands alone after 1980s demolition of surrounding buildings. After a revenge attack against the landlord in the late 1990s and then a murder in 2001 the pub closed down. Various planning applications were put forward and refused firstly for conversion into a hotel and bar, then a lap dancing club when Newham Council denied the plans in 2006 due to the uproar from the community in the area. The location of pub is directly opposite a Primary school. Then there were various applications to convert the place into student flats which kept getting refused until I believe a plan was eventually approved for conversion into 30+ flats a few years ago. Not sure whether developers stuck to the planning permission or not but the place was then gutted leaving just 3 exterior walls and the gent's urinal. As you can see from the photographs below a new floor was put in though work was abandoned for a few years until continuing in late 2016.
A photograph in the "Vanishing East End Through Time" book by Megan Hopkinson shows an undated picture of the pub under the name of the Golden Crown. I would guess this was late 1980s/early 90s judging by the partial view of the car parked outside.
James Hunt writes to Derelict London: "There was a story about a guy that was murdered in there not long before it closed down some people think that the murder was the reason for it closing. Apparently the was a couple of guys that walked in the bar one afternoon, they were looking for someone. The guy the were looking for was playing pool. The guy that were looking for him spotted him and walked over to him as he was just about to take a shot, so the guy was bent over the table, so one of the guys that was looking for him pull out a knife and stabbed him up the ass, and killed him. The bar closed not long after that."
Forest Gate, E7 - The Spotted Dog
The Spotted Dog in Forest Gate, E7
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This pub first featured on Derelict London back in 2004 shortly after it closed down. It's still closed down despite some efforts by a campaign group calling for the pub to be either reinstated as a pub or community facility. The building dates back to the late 15th or early 16th century. It was probably once a hunting lodge for King Henry VIII who had hunting dog kennels here.Forest Gate was once the border of Epping Forest, where Henry VIII loved to hunt. In the early 19th Century the lodge was converted into a pub James Hunt writes to Derelict London:"There is an interesting story about an underground passage that runs under the pub to the Boleyn (near West Ham football ground) the tunnel was built by Henry VIII but i'm not sure what it was used for. The entrance is still visible in the basement of the pub but the rest has been filled with concrete." Interesting, as I have heard the same story of a tunnel that connected the Black Lion in Plaistow to the Boleyn. |
BRICK LANE E1 - THE SEVEN STARS
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"It went from a strip pub to a cafe-bar but the last pub remaining in Brick Lane now lies empty" as I wrote in my Derelict London book published in 2008. Now in 2017 the Seven Stars in Brick Lane remains empty and covered in fly posters and street art along the side alleyway and to the rear. There are planning proposals to build some flats in the rear yard but the fate of the pub building is currently unknown.
In a derelict boathouse on the island of Jura, the trustees of the K Foundation, Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond, burned the assets of the foundation - £1 million in £50 notes. The money had been earned from their previous project, their enormously successful venture in pop music,the KLF. The burning of the £1 million was filmed and was due to be shown in a car-park in Brick Lane, Dec 95. but the event turned into something of a fiasco. The car-park idea was abandoned on the night, but a basement room was hired in the Seven Stars pub nearby. Around 400 people turned up for the showing, and most somehow managed to crowd into the small room. Bill and Jimmy hung around, but were evidently nervous,and hid for most of the evening in the toilets with their minders. Some of the film was shown but the cramped conditions proved too much and the showing was abandoned. Some reports indicate the police called it off, but although the police did turn up, it is understood that they had no part in the decision. All that remain of the money, is one solitary brick made from the ashes. Why the did, and more specifically, were their actions intended as art, as a commentary on art, the end of art, money or whatever else, will not be discussed by the duo.
Apparently one of the pub's regulars during it's latter days was a chap nicknamed ‘Wolf Man’ who was once a bodyguard of Oswald Mosley (British Union of Fascists)
The Seven Stars featured quite prominently in the episode "What Makes Shamy Run?" (Series 5, Thames TV, 1984) of Minder, starring George Cole as Arthur and Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann. Nick Fob-Off kindly sent me some Minder screenshots of that particular episode (see below).
Stratford E15 - The Railway/Reflections
(Above) The Railway/Reflections photographed in 2003
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This building first featured on Derelict London in 2003.Originally a Victorian Pub called the Railway and then later on became a nightclub called Reflections (or nicknamed Rejections by locals) until it's demise. Other sites on the net suggests that this closed in 2005 but its never reopened since these photos were first taken in 2003.
These days the (still) empty pub sits adjacent to Stratford High Street DLR station opened in 2011. The station site is the location of an earlier railway station from 1847 to 1957, known initially as Stratford Bridge and later as Stratford Market as the station served a local fruit and vegetable market. Presumably at one time the pub would have been frequented by market workers. There seems to be no plans to do anything with this site which is quite surprising what with all the pre and post Olympics regeneration in the area. 2015 pictures of the Railway/Reflections below: |
The North Pole - Isle of Dogs, E14Another traditional pub closed down in the proximity of Canary Wharf to make way for new developments. The landlord sold up and closed the pub in May 2014 and the pub was due to be demolished and plans are to replace it with an 8 floor apartment block with a "retail unit" on the ground floor though rumours are now that the pub building may be retained. Directly opposite the property, on the other side of Manilla Street, is a cleared construction site which has planning permission for a 39 storey hotel and I cant see the surrounding workshop buildings lasting too long either. The pub presumably got its name from Mortons, a large local factory that supplied tinned food to the Polar expeditions led by Shackleton and Scott. Mortons was also where Millwall Football Club originated and you can hear about that on my guided walking tour of the Isle of Dogs. |
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WAPPING E1 - THE OLD ROSE
I often used to drive by this isolated looking pub on the Highway with all its hanging baskets and wondered how long it would keep going. Apparently, Murdoch's "Fortress Wapping" round the corner kept the pub going with trade from journalists & print workers but not enough to stop the pub from closing in late 2010. Shame as it is in a good location (for me) on the route of my Wapping guided tours and would have been good for a pit stop - see London Docks Guided Walk on www.londonslostrivers.com
Windows have been replaced recently and it appears that the pub is being converted into flats.
Windows have been replaced recently and it appears that the pub is being converted into flats.
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MILLWALL E14 - THE ANCHOR & HOPE
A rare surviving old building in close proximity to Canary Wharf. This derelict pub suffered a mysterious arson attack a few years back & the place continues to rot.
Found a review of it in 2004 in its glory days: "Definitely a locals only pub. All the tracksuit wearing, gold covered pikeys playing pool went quiet as we walked in, and the conversation in the main bar seemed mainly to be about whether their mates would go down for GBH, manslaughter or murder. The good points - it's cheap, it's got darts and it's got pool. The bad points - It's scary and you might get stabbed. "
Ian Faragher writes to Derelict London: "I watched 2006 London Marathon from this pub, obviously on that day it was fairly busy. Cant imagine it got busy at any other times. There was an old guy drinking in there who was actually running the marathon, number and all his kit on. He said he ran it every year, stopping off at 5 or 6 of his favorite boozers on route. He said to me "I still won't be last to finish"."
Heres a more encouraging 2007 review found on the net (I believe it closed in late 2007/early 2008): "My mate Nick loves this place. Best jukebox in London. Rod the mod, the boss what more could you want from a pub. Look out for Wonky Pete on the pool table and Waynetta (Miss World 1875) behind the bar. If your lucky you may get to see the silent assassin who's worth making the trip for."
Michael Guy Perry also writes to Derelict London: "Ah, I went in there a few times; used to work nearby (not, I hasten to add, in a bank). Was a pretty sketchy boozer but better than the arsehole-packed bars of the Wharf..."
Also ex-Headcoatee, Billy Childish & White Stripes collaborator Holly Golightly tells Derelict London that she was a member of the ladies pool team here!
Found a review of it in 2004 in its glory days: "Definitely a locals only pub. All the tracksuit wearing, gold covered pikeys playing pool went quiet as we walked in, and the conversation in the main bar seemed mainly to be about whether their mates would go down for GBH, manslaughter or murder. The good points - it's cheap, it's got darts and it's got pool. The bad points - It's scary and you might get stabbed. "
Ian Faragher writes to Derelict London: "I watched 2006 London Marathon from this pub, obviously on that day it was fairly busy. Cant imagine it got busy at any other times. There was an old guy drinking in there who was actually running the marathon, number and all his kit on. He said he ran it every year, stopping off at 5 or 6 of his favorite boozers on route. He said to me "I still won't be last to finish"."
Heres a more encouraging 2007 review found on the net (I believe it closed in late 2007/early 2008): "My mate Nick loves this place. Best jukebox in London. Rod the mod, the boss what more could you want from a pub. Look out for Wonky Pete on the pool table and Waynetta (Miss World 1875) behind the bar. If your lucky you may get to see the silent assassin who's worth making the trip for."
Michael Guy Perry also writes to Derelict London: "Ah, I went in there a few times; used to work nearby (not, I hasten to add, in a bank). Was a pretty sketchy boozer but better than the arsehole-packed bars of the Wharf..."
Also ex-Headcoatee, Billy Childish & White Stripes collaborator Holly Golightly tells Derelict London that she was a member of the ladies pool team here!
NORTH WOOLWICH E16 - THE ROYAL OAK
Second World War bombing destroyed many of the surrounding buildings including the upper floors of the Royal Oak on Woodman St but it managed to carry on as a single storey pub until it closed in 2010. Plans have been approved to incorporate the existing frontage and extend to a 3 storey building to provide flats.
There is a story on the net that the early days of Arsenal FC were planned in this very pub which surprised me. The more probable story is that the Royal Oak (later renamed the Pullman) actually in Woolwich itself (adjacent to the Arsenal Railway Station) was where this happened.
SILVERTOWN E16 - GRAVING DOCK TAVERN
The Graving Dock Tavern on North Woolwich Road was built on the site of the original Victorian pub around 1960. Graving docks were used for cleaning ships hulls. This picture was taken in 2007. The building is still standing but completely obscured by buddleia.
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STEPNEY GREEN E1 - THE ARTICHOKE
A nearby Victorian pub of the same name was demolished as part of the development of the Sidney Estate after World War II. This replacement Artichoke was built at 91 Stepney Way and closed down in 2001, and still remains derelict although plans have been submitted for demolition and to be replaced by apartments.
Michelle Summer writes: "my parents used to drink in the Artichoke years ago when I was a kid. It was a really nice homely pub in the 1970's with live music some nights and pub food and snacks. Customers used to take their children along at the weekend's and although there was no beer garden there were tables and chairs outside and there was a real family atmosphere."
Jim Lucy writes: "My parents (Tom & Jean Lucy) owned the pub for sixteen years from 1972 until 1988 in what would commonly be regarded as the pub's heyday. The pub was a busy family house and I am sure many people will remember it with affection. All of My family now live in Berkshire, and on the rare occasions I return to Stepney I am amazed that the Artichoke is still there, I am sure one day I will return and find it converted to flats."
In 1956 the local Watney Streeters - most of them dockers, descendants of an earlier Watney Street gang who defended their patch against rivals from Bethnal Green - were involved in brawls with the Kray twins and their associates. 'Their' pub was the Britannia, at 44 Morris Street (run by Watney's Brewery, by coincidence), a few yards behind Watney Street: here Ronnie Kray bayonet-stabbed Terry Martin, a member of the gang, while the rest escaped through the back door. In retaliation they beat up Billy Jones, who ran a West End club, which in turn led to one of their leaders, Charlie, being 'worked over' by Bobby Ramsey at The Artichoke in Stepney Way (From sgite.org.uk)
HACKNEY WICK E9 - LORD NAPIER
Jo writes: "My great great grandfather was a potman in the Lord Napier in the 1890s, and in fact his daughter, my great grandmother Martha Ruston was a bar maid there before her marriage in 1901. I wish I could do a spot of time travelling to take a look inside it then ... what a contrast to its latter years!"
David Eason writes: "My Uncles brother played piano in this pub and the Lea Tavern around the corner (Big John Ward) Also as a point of interest the Napier is opposite an old yard that was once owned by Carles Capel and Leonard who invented the word "Petrol" This booza is also a stones throw from where the worlds first plastic was invented, the diode valve and Dry Cleaning."
Sharon writes: "During the 1960's was owned by a brewery called Ind Coope. My dad John Francis Murphy (Jack) was employed by them and this is one of the London pubs which he was licencee/manager of during the 60s. I think I was about 4 or 5 years old when we lived in the flat above it. I'd love the chance to speak with anyone who remembers him as sadly he died while I was still a child".
Lord Napier in Hackney Wick
ILFORD IG1 - ROSE AND CROWN
The Rose and Crown on Ilford Hill closed in 2005 and still remains empty although there are plans to convert it into a hotel.
Mark Goodwin writes: "Totally shocked to hear this shut to be honest. Used to live in Ilford up to ’93 but popped back occasionally. Nice place inside, very woody and traditional. Typically friendly old locals and had the traditional quiz night on Thursday. We always came last apart from one exception when ‘Wilsy’s wonders’ mysteriously came top thanks to my covert operation involving peeking at peoples answers when I made my way to the bar every 10 minutes. The hardcore quiz night massive almost lynched us!"
Alan writes: "My brother-in-law's parents ran the Rose and Crown up until the end of 1976.They were called Flo and Stan, and had a big boxer dog called Rastus, that drooled at anyone with food. My sister had her wedding reception upstairs in 1975. In the hot summer of 1976, we would have a lock-in on a Saturday night, and two policemen would come in and drink with us (even though they were on duty) and tell us hilarious stories about what they got up to".
Rose and Crown, Ilford
BROMLEY E3 - BLUE ANCHOR
The Blue Anchor was the last surviving pub in Bromley High Street. It closed in 2015 and the lease was purchased (I believe) by Poplar Harca (a local social landlord) who wish to redevelop the pub into residential. Meanwhile the pub is available for short-term 'pop up' events.
Blue Anchor, Bromley-by-Bow
FOREST GATE E7 - FREEMASONS ARMS
The Freemasons Arms, Romford Rd continued after WW2 despite a V2 rocket attack in March 1945 killing 3 people. Renamed Simpsons called from the 1980's until early 2000 and was most recently La Luna, a nightclub popular amongst the Lithuanian community.
Proposals are to restore and extend the pub building to provide a shop and a restaurant/cafe on the ground floor with flats on the upper floors.
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The Freemasons Arms, Forest Gate
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CHINGFORD E4 - GARDENERS ARMS
The Gardeners Arms on Burnside Avenue replaced another nearby pub called the Greyhound which was demolished in 2001 as part of wider regeneration in the area. This, however, only lasted until 2010 before closing down. Plans to convert the ground floor to retail have not yet been actioned and the pub remains derelict.
The Gardeners Arms in Chingford
POPLAR E14 - GREENWICH PENSIONER
The Greenwich Pensioner, Bazeley Street was built in 1827. A lovely looking pub, from the outside. It closed down and reopened in early 2016 only to close again in Summer. No great loss according to the locals in other pubs such as Callaghans and the Manor Arms. Looking through the windows at the time it appeared pleasant enough inside although I never got a chance to find out myself as it was always closed whenever I rolled up.By the way, a Greenwich pensioner was the Naval equivalent of a Chelsea pensioner.
The Greenwich Pensioner in Poplar
STEPNEY E1 - BLACK HORSE
The Black Horse in Mile End Road was renamed the E-One (E1) Club in 2006 and closed down in 2010. It was quite a popular gay pub though tended to go downhill towards the end. Here is an anonymous 2007 comment from Beer in the Evening: "it was a veritable drug den of the eastends finest dealers and losers. I witnessed at least 3 fights and saw some poor italian guy on his own battered to a pulp. Blood everywhere. Weirdest thing was that the bouncers didnt kick anyone out everytime a fight kicked off so inevitably it flared up again and again. Horrendous. Avoid at all costs".
The Black Horse in Stepney
The New Gog in Custom House
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CUSTOM HOUSE E16 - THE NEW GOGThe New Gog on Freemasons Road was on the site of a pub called The Royal Albert. Squatters have been recently evicted and the building remains empty and is owned by Notting Hill Housing who intend to demolish the pub and build flats on the site. Local Actor Danny Dwyer on Twitter commented that the New Gog was "Not the sort of boozer you forget ;)" Nobody in the area can provide any reason why the pub was given the unusual name of "New Gog." In the Old Testament Gog appears in chapters of the Book of Ezekiel. |
PLAISTOW E13 - COACH AND HORSES
The Coach & Horses on the High St closed around 2008 and is still empty awaiting redevelopment into flats. Historic England states: "18th Century public house, yellow brick with red brick arches and reveals. There is extensive damage to the 1930s interior. The building is in need of maintenance".
Coach & Horses, Plaistow 2012
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Coach & Horses, Plaistow 2016
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The Ship Aground in Hackney
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LEA BRIDGE RD, HACKNEY E5 - THE SHIP AGROUNDThe present building, which dates from the late 19th century, was built on the site of an earlier pub of the same name that serveds a meeting place for river dwellers and bargees. The Ship Aground took its name from its location between the River Lea and Paradise Dock (formerly known as Ashpitel’s Dock).The Dock was still in use in the first half of the 20th century but was filled in by the 1960s. The course of the Dock is still visible in the form of a water feature which has been integrated into the recent residential development at Lea Bridge In 2008 the Hackney Gazette described the pub as notorious for drugs, noise and disorder.Officers said there was evidence of serious crime and disorder in and around the pub, including drug-taking and late-night opening. "The Ship Aground creates more complaints to police from members of the public than other licensed premises on the ward put together." The Ship Aground closed in 2009 & 80% of the pub has been demolished (according to the owner's website) and the basement dug out with the aim of converting it into a Sikh temple although lack of funds have slowed down the completion so the shell looks in quite a derelict state. |
LIMEHOUSE E14 - STAR OF THE EAST
The Star of the East pub on Commercial Road closed down in 2008 and then reopened and then limped on until Autumn 2016. Most of the times I went in this place it was pretty dead with a couple of regulars and the pub cats, apart from when there was a birthday do on for one of the locals. Sometimes very friendly though by Summer 2016 I stopped going there as the lager didn't taste right, the Guinness was lumpy and the red wine was terrible. REOPENED IN 2019 and it is very different to the old days ansd has been reinvented as a gastro pub.
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Star of the East in Limehouse
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POPLAR E14 - LORD STANLEY
The Lord Stanley in Carmen Street closed in 2013 after planning permission was granted in 2012 for the demolition of the existing building and erection of a 4 storey building to provide flats and retail use on the ground floor. This planning consent has lapsed. Planning permission was granted by Tower Hamlets Council despite opposition from the landlady, who had been running the pub for 19 years, and locals who signed a petition to try and save the pub. The freehold is now up for sale with vacant possession as a development opportunity.
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The Lord Stanley in Poplar
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This section of closed down East London pubs is now divided up into 4 pages. This page covers the pubs that are still empty/derelict. Other pics of derelict East London pubs can be found at:
East London Pubs from Dereliction to Demolition
East London Pubs - From Dead Pubs to Conversion
Derelict East London Pubs Back From the Brink
East London Pubs from Dereliction to Demolition
East London Pubs - From Dead Pubs to Conversion
Derelict East London Pubs Back From the Brink