OLDEST - Pub on the Island - The Ferry House, Ferry Street, London, UK
N 51° 29.188 W 000° 00.794
30U E 707360 N 5708154
The Ferry House, at the southern end of the Isle of Dogs, claims to be "The Oldest Pub on the Island". The "island" being the Isle of Dogs with quick reference to a map showing that it is not an island at all but does have water on three sides.
Waymark Code: WMRRX5
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/31/2016
Views: 2
On the Ferry Street face of the pub the sign writer has added "The Oldest Pub on the Island" with a date of "Circa 1722".
The Isle of Dogs Life blog tells us about The Ferry House:
In the 18th century there were very few houses on the Isle of Dogs, one notable exception was the Ferry House pub which has been plying its trade since 1722 and is still going strong.
The pub’s location near to the old ferry point across to Greenwich meant it was ideally placed to cater for travellers crossing the river.
There had been a ferry at this point since at least 1330, known afterwards as Popeler Ferry and then Potter’s Ferry. The Ferry transported men, horses and cattle and become a lucrative business whose rights were protected by legal statutes.
We know from Rocque’s map of 1745, that the Ferry House was marked on the map near to a gibbet, by consulting Old Bailey cases we can often find a little bit of the history of who was the landlord and the type of customers that frequent the pub.
The Ferry House is Grade II listed with the entry at the Historic England website telling us:
Appearing on all the early maps of the area and probably of C17 origin associated with the Greenwich Ferry. Now appears as a late C18/early C19 three storey stucco faced building with later C19 and early C20 alterations for the built out plastered public house front. The east front has upper floors set back behind the projecting pub front, plain parapet with coping and slated mansard attic. Later C19 glazing to sash windows. On the first floor is a projecting rectangular stuccoed bay with a swept hipped lead roof probably built over a former porch and providing a ferry look out. It has 2 irregular sized windows to the front, one of which might have been a door on to a gallery or balcony; both have moulded architrave surrounds. Adjoining to right is a late C19 extension with a 2 storey canted bay window. Inside the first floor retains some plain C18 panelling and remains of a simple C18 staircase balustrade above the ground floor.