please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Pleasant pub nearly hidden from view, and accordingly hard to access, by building works at London Bridge. Once reached however a friendly lunch time crowd (a mix of high vis & white collar workers) were clearly enjoying the pub, and rightly so. I had a pint of the ubiquitous Doom Bar (4.30), perfectly adequate for me (a dopey colonial), though I note disparaged by beer snobs.
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Popped in on Saturday afternoon for a couple of quick pints.
4 ales across the 5 pumps which were Sharp’s Doom Bar, Caledonian Flying Scotsman, St Austall Tribute and Wells Bombardier. I had 2 pints of Scotsman which were very good though at £4.30 a pint it was quite steep!
Half busy, quite a bit of food being served to the punters that were in.
Decent pit stop when gagging for a beer
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Not a bad place. Less blatantly touristy than the usual pubs around here and the staff were efficient enough. They could do with a bit more variety in the beers, though - a choice of three dark bitters all around 4% is a bit pointless.
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Came in here on Saturday night, after to be honest far too many beers and I can't remember the beer I ordered or drank!
The pub was busy with a mixed crowd, the 3 of us were left alone and supped our pints while stood at the bar.
I've been here before but never left a review, this is a honest working mans that's worth the short walk down Tooley Street.
Very impressive tiled mural hangs by the door onto Tooley Street, this is worth a visit alone.
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Good pub for visting fans for Millwall matches. Also get some Milwall fans in there so usually friendly bit of pre match banter in the pub and then on the train to the ground.
Beer is decent enough if a little pricey (but that goes with the area). Food also OK.
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Good pub situated very close to London Bridge station.
It's certainly old school but nothing wrong with that at all.
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Found the traditional ambiance appropriate having just visited the nearby Britain at War Experience. Lunched here (Sat lunchtime), good portions at reasonable prices, same with the drinks. One minor point - was asked by the rather unfriendly bar lady to remove my cap for the CCTV, fair enough, but had already been in the place best part of an hour and was served by her initially and she didn't ask then so why now? Odd.
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I like this pub. In these days of pubs disappearing at a rate of knotts, or being converted into poncey wine bars or given the stripped back/IKEA look, it's nice to know there's a good old fashioned boozer still plying it's trade.
And I'm clearly not the only one who thinks this as it can get packed to the rafters after work - particularly on Fridays - due to its location next to London Bridge station. Long may it continue.
And as for the toilet thing, see reviews below, I make them 100% right to be careful about who's using their khazis. Given where it is they clearly get loads of people trying to use it as a public convenience every day, so why should they benefit at the expense of paying customers.
Keep up the good work!
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top top pub , in here last night, very very friendly, nice people
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I visit this pub most days as I�m based in the area, I have to say this is one of London�s gems, the staff always laugh in the right places at my witty one liners and the landlady is contrary to what others say here, a very fair professional with a huge understanding of the pub culture, she runs a tight ship!
I have never witnessed any trouble and their zero tolerance to both drugs and rude behaviour should be commended.
It�s great to watch the many tourists visit for their legendary fish n chips, which I can honestly recommend.
Over all a brilliant London boozer!
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Any chance of sub-titles for the last review.
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I came to this pub with my friends on a Saturday night of Halloween to enjoy the night. we sat outside for over 4 hours. I went into the bar to go in the toilet and i have been question on where i have bought a drink by the bouncer who was looking at what look it was the manager of the pub. This manager have not seeing me so he wasnt sure of say yes to it. by this point i had already spent over 30 pounds on this place as the prices are so high.
After i had to explain myself to this people I have been let through the interrogations to go into a toilet that had no tissue paper and was blocked you would think that after paying so much money for drinks and having to go through a questioning you will end up in a decent toilet, in this place you wont.
I then went to 2 of the lady bar-staff who were so busy involved in there own conversation to even acknowledge me or do their toilet checks. I had to get their attention and I had mention the fact that the toilets were in this condition I didn't get a thank you from any of the staff one of them looked angry and stormed off for 2 seconds then came back to her collogue and carry on like nothing happened.
When I sat back down with my friends i find out i wasn't the only one that had to go through this witch angered me even more that I had to leave this establishment.
Over all the level of customer services in this place is a joke, and disappointing. Specially for someone that had work in the same industry for so many years.
I wouldn't particularly bother with this place and I hope that my comment talks for all of the others that had to experience such horrible customer service from this establishment.
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Popped in here for a quick pint and to watch the cricket.This was my first 'proper' visit to this pub (only previous visit was on a Saturday lunchtime when i was the sole customer) and i was fairly impressed.Excellent pint of Deuchars (�3-50) and the 2 girls working behind the bar were exceptionally friendly and efficient.I didn't eat but i saw several dishes go past and it all looked very good indeed.They had no TVs' as such just 2 'big screens' which don't really work for me in the daytime as they can be hard to see.Didn't see anything of the supposedly obnoxious landlady.Maybe next time.
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Been there a few times over the years... and always then wonder why I bothered. Majorty of the staff are friendly, but there is usually the grumpy landlady not too far away. If it wasn't for the worry of getting a good hiding from her I would be tempted to suggest that service with a smile, especially when you own the place, is always a positive....
In terms of the beer, its ok. You will be drinking it in a relatively dated environment though (even with the recent, cheaply done, refit) and will have paid approaching �8 for 2 pints of whatever you go for which is more expensive than some of the other places very nearby.
All in all there is no reason to drink there that I can tell. If I were you I would head 2 minutes down the road to the river and have a beer there where you will pay less, maybe get a smile (or at least not feel unwelcome) and most probably be in somewhere that apprecaites you spending your hard earned with them!
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I work around the corner from this pub and have to say I too find the staff friendly and beer well kept.
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The Shipwrights is an unmodernised pub located along Tooley St from London Bridge Station and tourist haunts like the London Dungeon. A lot of redevelopment has taken place on the other side of the street over the last 20 years and while some (like Hays Galleria) are well done the area immediately over the road from the pub boasts a fairly nasty glass office block and perhaps the most hideous Hilton Hotel I have ever seen (looks like it was built out of Lego)
The interior of the pub is pretty much unmodernised - there is a central bar with chairs and tables scattered around and walls festooned with nautical pictures and instruments.
Despite some of the previous comments I found the bar stuff friendly and helpful although the landlady did appear to take her dog behind the bar which I was less keen on. The atmosphere was fairly relaxed with a mixture of office workers and tourists. Ale selection was reasonable with Price, Harveys Best and Deuchars IPA on offer - I enjoyed my pint of Deuchars.
This is a very reasonable pub that is worth a look in if in the area although I would not make a special effort to visit
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Last Friday - 27th August - I phoned The Shipwrights Arms to check their opening times on Bank Holiday Monday. I was organising a group pub tour from out of town and this was the second on the list. I was told that the pub would be open all day. Imagine our surprise and disappointment when we found on arrival that they were closed all day. You let the side down badly. The only consolation is that you were not the only pub to give wrong information. I give you zero for causing us to lose valuable drinking time. We caught up at The Hornimans at Hays and I recommend them for an excellent range of real ales and a fabulous view over the river - and only 2 minutes from The Shipwrights Arms.
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Popped in as it had always intrigued me when riding the bus past. looks smart and well kept from the outside, but tatty and worn on the inside, with lots of sea fayre up on the walls (Loos, however, were very good for a basic pub).
Landlord was tried and was good, the missus' Deuchars was also good. Very mixed crowd and an even more mixed up selection of music on the jukebox (50s music, followed by Drum n' Bass whilst I was in).
Given its placing next door to the More London development, you would expect that this place would have been 'gentrified', but it's managed to keep its back-street charm, which is encouraging.
Worth a visit if you're popping by, but nothing to go out of your way for.
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Check the money you give the bar tenders, and check your change. Paid for a pint with a tenner, received change back for a fiver. When I pointed it out was told they had to wait until teh manageress checked the till and if it was over they would call me next day. What if it was a tourist just passing through? Tough luck? Such BS.
I had liked the pub up until this happened, now to be totally avoided.
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I went to the Shipwrights Arms last week to have a quiet beer with friends and was pleasantly surprised by the massive variety of beers and ales they have. The place has a nice atmosphere and is pretty old school in nature. I also struggle to believe some of the negative reviews regarding the bar staff! I was served by a really nice young gentleman called Cameron who proceeded to advise me on the type of beer i should try depending upon my individual taste.
It's rare to find a beer sommelier in London these days!
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I found this to be a delightful traditional pub where my husband and I enjoyed some local Ale with our sunday roast. Both were really good quality and we shall be returning when we next come down south from Edinburgh.
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A pub of great charm:a feature not shared by its Manager or staff.Reasonable selection of beers,but can vary in quality.Well worth a visit,as this type of pub is slowly disappering from the area.
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I thought this rather better than some of the below reviews (and the average mark) suggest. It's a large, and refreshingly unmodernised old boozer which looks nicely incongruous next to the overwhelming More London development on the other side of Tooley Street. There is a large central bar, two or three real ales on offer, and whilst this is perhaps only average in the context of the large number of superb pubs in the general area, I thought it above average for London as a whole. In contrast to some reviewers I thought the service was quick, if a little unfriendly: however, I could well believe the story about the toilets - I noticed the "polite notice" warning people not to use the toilets without buying a drink, helpfully translated into five or six languages! Whilst I can see why publicans would get annoyed by that, I think this pub may be taking things to a Fawltyesque extreme.
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Still retains a "basic boozer" atmosphere even if it doen't match it with its prices - over �3 for a pint of Deuchars. However, always a decent pint.. Still, it's an oasis of a traditional style pub in a rapidly changing area. Worth a visit.
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As I walked into this pub I popped into the toilet before I was to order my pint. One of the bar staff steamed into the toilet after me screaming that I had to buy a pint first. I promised I would buy a pint when I came out. But no that was not good enough. I had to leave the toilet buy a drink then go back in the toilet, which I declined. Ok, I should have asked to use the toilet... Personally I would take someone�s word if they say they are going to buy a pint (which I was).
As I walked through the bar everyone was staring me because of all the shouting (not from me I might add). I asked to speak to the manager and was told by the lady there she was the manager. There was no point arguing my case with this woman, as she instigated the whole situation in the first place! Very unprofessional bar staff to the point of stupidity!
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I popped into here on Thursday last week and I ended up leaving without being served as it soon became apparent that the five or so people waiting to be served were not as important as cleaning the glasses. I thought that they may have run out of clean ones, but they hadn�t.
The drinks selection is the same as reported last September with Deuchars, Spitfire and Adnams being available alongside premium and standard lagers.
I found this pub to be nothing special and I�m not sure that I�d bother trying to get a drink in here again.
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This is a high-ceilinged corner pub, typical of Victorian design. It even boasts a rather fine tiled mural of what appears to be a local river scene, and which is certainly one of the pub�s original features. As you might expect with a pub of this name, there is a lot of nautical paraphernalia adorning the walls, including some model ships.
They had Deuchars IPA, Adnam�s Bitter and spitfire on. The Deuchars was �3.10 a pint, but tasted just fine. I rather like this pub as it has a traditional feel to it, and in my view is definitely worth a visit if you are in the London Bridge area.
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Had a reasonable pint of Adnams here last night at an unreasonable �3.10. Decent boozer convenient for London Bridge station, under the arches opposite Hays Galleria.
One room with a central bar. Service good. Also offering Deuchars IPA and Sheps Spitfire.
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Went here a couple of days ago. Excellent pint of Adnams, and friendly bar staff. Slightly shabby sort of pub, but I kind of like that. Would go again if in the area.
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Somewhat cramped pub, with a large square bar in the centre and efficient service, but limited room on each of the four sides. Nice enough pint of Pride.
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I visited during the world cup to watch a game, the pace was busy but the landlady was spot on with the service - I think I was on Adnams (few weeks ago) I think if you are in the area do take a look!
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I have been here twice. I found it enjoyable on both occasions. It has a good atmosphere. The Landlady would definitely not tolerate any illegal activities (like drug dealing as mentioned earlier). It is in a good location and a good place to go for a chinwag with a friend.
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I made the mistake of visiting this pub earlier this month. Ordered a pint (Pride I think it was) which was distinctly under par, not vinegar but definately not nice. I discretely brought this to the attention of the Landlady who pronounced it to be perfectly OK and declined to offer any alternative. I was stunned. I suggested that she drank it herself and left �3 poorer.
Bad beer and a bad attitude to customers - I certainly won't be back.
Fortunately there was an excellent pint of Old Wallop and charming service to be had at the Davy's pub just up the road.
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I generally quite like this place, but it the atmosphere does vary depending upon mix of old style locals, Tourist and office workers depending upon when u go.
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Have popped into here. Not the nicest of pubs. Seemed a bit tatty. The beer wasn't bad, and the bar staff ok, but the tattiness just overdid for me.
Don't think I'll go back.
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Little to add to my previous comment in April 2005. Adnams was on form last night and I certainly wouldn't describe the clientele as "edgy" in any shape or form. More than happy to include this one in any crawl of the London Bridge area
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Expected a lot more really. Bland beer and a very 'edgy' clientele (thats being kind). Not really worth the walk from London Bridge, particularly with lots of excellent boozers to choose from in the area.
I did like the decorative frieze on the back wall though.
anonymous - 25 Apr 2006 10:15 |
comfortable pub a few mins walk from the bustle of Borough High Street, quite suprised that this is in the 2006 Good Beer Guide, its not bad but not that special either. Friendly and prompt service.
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Good pub, awful clientel (although there was a Chelsea match on).
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Re-visited recently after an absence of 25 years! Good atmosphere with sensibly priced ales. Lunch was well cooked and above average.
This used to be known locally as "The Pink Tit". Look over the fron door to see why.
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Nice traditional single bar pub about 5 minutes walk away from London Bridge British Rail. Highlight is the tiled picture of The Pool of London on the far wall. Beers on were Adnams, Spitfire and Rebellion from Marlow. Note also the caryatid ( I think that's what you call it ) over the front door and the old Courage cockerel.
Well worth visiting - I will definitely come again, hopefully sooner rather than later
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Had an enjoyable drink here before heading off quickly. I feel it had more to offer, and I'll probably be back if I'm in the area again. Good range of ales it seemed.
anonymous - 12 Jan 2005 02:24 |
Have visited this pub over a number of years, it's had its ups and downs with beers and service. The beers on yesterday were nothing special. Worth visiting if in the area just to see the old picture tiling inside.
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reasonably priced with a fair range of decent ales on my first visit, going there tonight.
michael - 10 Jun 2004 13:54 |
Was in the pub last night, do not know how it got into the good beer guyide as the spitfire was below par
thomas - 21 Jan 2004 15:25 |
A large, single-room pub featuring a central island bar and up to three changing real ales. Usually one of them is from a micro (I had MOLES MOLENNIUM BITTER on my visit of 04/02/2003). Handy for the London Dungeon, London Bridge and Tower Bridge. The beer was (ok) on my visit, and I'd give it 6/10.
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