The Admiral Hardy Pub along College Approach at the Greenwich Market looks like it could be very staid and traditional, but in reality is hip and funky.
From the Greenwich Market website: (
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"Admiral Hardy
Once frequented by salty seamen from across the Seven Seas, the clientele is now more landlubber than longshipman.
Whether you're footy fan or couch potato, fashionista or fashion reject, musician or professional air-guitarist, The Admiral Hardy is the place to be. Sunday is the open mic night, and you're encouraged to book your slot early.
The Admiral Hardy is one of the only live music venues in the area so the night is packed. Alternatively, if you or your mates want a venue for your musical stylings they take low cost bookings for gigs any other night of the week.
Hardy FC has its very own five-a-side footy team, giving regulars a chance to shine on the pitch every weekend, but they're always on the look out for fresh talent and more supporters. Get in!
Opening hours
Monday - Thursday: 12pm - 11pm
Friday - Saturday: 12pm - 1am
Sunday: 12pm - 10.30pm
Address
7 College Approach
Greenwich
London
SE10 9HY"
From the Publiness website: (
visit link)
"If you burrow through the homemade puppets, tarot card readings and varying degrees of clothing and bric-a-brac which fill the recently renovated Greenwich Market, and if you can resist the lure of the food stalls surrounding the building, you will find the Admiral Hardy. An unassuming pub from the outside, it hides what is a very strange beast indeed.
Publiness
Where to start?! The main room of the Admiral Hardy initially looks largely traditional. It is quite gloomy, there’s a random mix of chairs and tables, and on sporting occasions the big screens drop down to provide a good view from wherever you are. As you look more closely however you realise that this traditional pub is festooned with pictures and posters very much from the land of rock and alternative music. Photos of Jarvis Cocker? Check. Def Leppard posters? Check. The Doors blaring out across the pub? Oh yes that’s a check. And all of this is before you go in to the back room, which was previously the sort of terrifying dark cavern that nightmares are made of, but is now the home of a bright, shiny additional bottle bar, with more music paraphernalia and, perhaps most incongruously, hundreds of skateboards on the ceiling. It all creates a bit of a jarring setting for a pint, but certainly let it not be said that the Admiral Hardy is boring.
Beers
Fairly standard fare is served out in the main bar (Heineken, Amstel and a selection of 3 real ales) but the addition of the bottle bar seems to have been matched with an increase in some of the more exotic craft beers that are available. Camden Pale Ale, Brooklyn Lager and a Mexican Day of the Dead Amber Ale were on offer whilst I sat baffled by my surroundings. It’s certainly a welcome addition to a pub that had previously been a bit short on beer selection.
Any Other Business
In a pub of such bizareness, it is perhaps not surprising that the toilets are a bit strange. Well very strange. The urinals are shaped like giant lips, which gives you the uncomfortable feeling that you are getting far too intimate with Mick Jagger whilst going to the loo. On a more serious note though, the smell of the toilets does pervade the main room much more than I assume most people would want.
Rating
As you can imagine, trying to sum up the Admiral Hardy is quite tricky. It’s both traditional and quirky, staid and bonkers, dim and spangly all in equal measures. I think with a bit more care they could properly turn it into a great alternative pub, and I hope that the revamp of the backroom will be matched in the main bar at some point. For now though it’s all a bit of a mess, and the atmosphere suffers as a result. You’ll certainly have fun, and probably a good beer, whilst trying to work it all out though.
6.8/10"
We finally found a bit of history on this 250-year-old pub on the Greenwich Market website: (
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"Market History
An ancient village on the banks of the Thames, steeped in Royal history, Greenwich has long been home to a Royal Charter Market which was originally assigned to the Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital on the 19th December 1700 for 1,000 years.
Original Market
Originally housed on the site of the West Gate of the Old Royal Naval College, it began to spread into the neighbouring area in the 1800’s and its dark streets and alleys were difficult and dangerous to control.
As part of a drive to clean up the river frontage and to bring Greenwich's buildings up to standards more in keeping with the Royal Hospital (now the Old Royal Naval College), the market was moved to its current position and the first cobble stones laid. Three roofs were built to protect the market from the elements. In 1831 the market contained traders selling live and dead meat, fish, eggs, butter, poultry, fruit and vegetables. On its periphery lay peddlers selling goods such as china, glass and earthenware. Today you can still see some of the original slaughterhouses for cattle and stables for horses.
In 1845 the licensee of the Admiral Hardy pub was given permission to convert the large room over the newly built arch on College Approach into a small theatre with a tiered balcony at one end.
The inscription on the arch still reads:
“A false balance is an abomination to the Lord but a just weight is his delight”
And here, on the pubs History website: (
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"Admiral Hardy, 7 Clarence Street, Greenwich SE10
Greenwich Index
Listed as the Admiral Harvey in the 1840 & 1858 directories. In 1874, the Admiral Hardy Music Hall exists in Clarence Street. At 7 College Approach by 1944.
A listing of historical public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels in Greenwich, London. The Greenwich, London listing uses information from census, Trade Directories and History to add licensees, bar staff, Lodgers and Visitors.
Admiral Hardy, 7 College Approach - in February 2007
Kindly provided by Stephen Harris
The following entries are in this format:
Year/Publican or other Resident/Relationship to Head and or Occupation/Age/Where Born/Source.
1840/Mitchell & Son/../../../Pigots Directory ****
. . . "