What is London without speaking about a pub? The Anchor Freehouse was my choice to write about after visting it inour first pub crawl. The scenery is there. Right by the Thames, cobbled road, and a magnificent view of London.
For over 800 years, there has always been a pub at the site of the current Anchor. Frequented by sailors, it's now a mecca for tourists and office workers.
The Anchor dates from 1775 and has had many additions to it since it's original building thanks to fires in 1750 and 1876. The Anchor has many bars, a terrace on the rood, and a restaurant.
I have come to find that there has been a great deal of history at this site. Samuel Pepys, a diarist, saw the Great Fire of London in 1666 from the site. It was officially called the Anchor Tavern in 1770-75, erected by William Allen.
The Anchor has a late 18th-century front in brown brick. It is of two storeys and an attic and has a tiled roof with a dormer window behind the parapet. The main front has a three-light wood shop window with pilasters at the sides and hinged shutters. Above, on the first floor, is a shallow overhanging bay with double-hung sashes and glazing bars. On the flank (in Park Street) the windows have segmental heads, plain reveals and doublehung sashes with glazing bars; those on the ground floor have wood shutters. There is also a shop window of similar type to that on the main front.
The bar has plain dado panelling and a mantelpiece of late 18th century date. The back parlour has plain matchboarding of similar date with some later alterations.
Being in the presence of such rich history makes me think about how it would have been like to watch the Anchor change over the centuries. Witnessing the Great Fire from the location would have made for a morbidly unbelievable experience. To be a sailor and come to the Anchor would also be something of an experience.
