TheProspect of Whitbyis a historicpublic houseon the northern bank of theRiver ThamesatWapping,in theEast End of Londonand theLondon Borough of Tower Hamlets.It lays claim to being on the site of the oldest riversidetavern,dating from around 1520.
History
editThe tavern was formerly known asThe Pelicanand later as theDevil’s Tavern,on account of its dubious reputation. All that remains from the building's earliest period is the 400-year-old stone floor. The pub features 18th-century panelling and a 19th-centuryfacade.[1]The pub has a pewter-top bar and is decorated with many nautical objects.[2][3]In former times it was a meeting place for sailors,smugglers,cutthroats andfootpads.Sir Hugh Willoughbysailed from here in 1553 in a disastrous attempt to discover theNorth-East Passageto China.
According toJohn Stow,it was "The usual place for hanging of pirates and sea-rovers, at the low-water mark, and there to remain till three tides had overflowed them".Execution Dockwas actually by Wapping Old Stairs and was generally used for pirates.[4][5][6]In the eighteenth century, the firstfuchsiaplant in the United Kingdom was sold at the pub.[7]
Views from the pub were sketched by bothTurnerandWhistler.[8]
Following a fire in the early 19th century, the tavern was rebuilt and renamedThe Prospect of Whitby,after a Tynecollierthat used to berth next to the pub. The ship broughtsea coalfromNewcastle upon Tyneto London.[7][9]The Prospect was listed as aGrade II listed buildingin December 1950.[10]The pub underwent a renovation in 1951 to double the interior space.[11]In January 1953, the pub was raided by armed robbers.[12]The pub has been visited byPrincess MargaretandPrince Rainier IIIof Monaco.[13]
On the opposite side of the road (Wapping Wall) is the formerWapping Hydraulic Power Station,later an arts centre and restaurant.
In popular culture
editThis sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(October 2023) |
There is a scene in the 1956 filmD-Day the Sixth of June,starringRobert TaylorandRichard Todd,in which Taylor's character is seen withDana Wynter's character having drinks in the pub during theSecond World War.
The video forGilbert O'Sullivan's 1970 hit "Nothing Rhymed"was shot here, as he was living close by in a bedsit when he wrote the song.
The pub features briefly in an episode ofOnly Fools And Horses.When Uncle Albert goes missing in one episode Del Boy and Rodney travel around London looking for him.Nicholas Lyndhurstis shown in one scene walking out of the pub.
In the comicbookThe League of Extraordinary GentlemenMina Harkerpauses in front of the pub and says it brings back memories. She is referring to the beaching of theDemeteratWhitbyin the novelDracula.[14][15]
The pub is also featured inVercors's novelLes Animaux dénaturés.
The pub also appears inWhitechapel,Series 4, Episode 4, in which the body of a victim is discovered on the Thames shoreline. DS Miles briefly explains its history to DI Chandler.
The pub features in several of Anna Harrington's Regency-era romance novels, most notably inAn Unexpected EarlandAn Extraordinary Lord,both in the "Lords of the Armory" series. The recurring comic character Hugh Whitby in Harrington's "Capturing the Carlisles" series was named after the pub.
The pub also features in several of the Charles Holborne legal crime thrillers by former barrister, Simon Michael, particularlyCorrupted,in which the protagonist and his family work as lightermen on the Thames during the Blitz.
The pub also serves as the location for the final scenes inThe Old Guard(2020).[16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Inwood, Stephen (June 2012).Historic London: An Explorer's Companion.Pan Macmillan.ISBN9780230752528.Retrieved11 September2016.
- ^Paris, Natalie (18 April 2013)."England's great pubs".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved11 September2016.
- ^Fodor's London 2016.Fodor's Travel Guides. 2016.ISBN9781101878880.Retrieved11 September2016.
- ^The Thames Tunnel, Ratcliff Highway and Wapping,Old and New London: Volume 2 (1878), pp. 128–37Retrieved 29 March 2007
- ^Manners, Jamie (October 2015).The Seven Noses of Soho: And 191 Other Curious Details from the Streets of London.Michael O'Mara Books.ISBN9781782434627.Retrieved11 September2016.
- ^Smith, Oliver (18 February 2016)."London's 11 most notorious public execution sites".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved11 September2016.
- ^abFarman, John (May 2012).The Very Bloody History of London.Random House.ISBN9781448121168.Retrieved11 September2016.
- ^Attwooll, Jolyon (22 February 2016)."London's best historical pubs: the ultimate tour".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved11 September2016.
- ^"London Pubs".Knowledge of London.Retrieved18 September2016.
- ^Historic England."Prospect of Whitby Public House (1357505)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved9 December2008.
- ^"The Prospect of Whitby".Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer.17 September 1951. p. 2.Retrieved11 September2016– viaBritish Newspaper Archive.
- ^"Jail for Prospect of Whitby Raiders".Yorkshire Evening Post.19 March 1953. p. 7.Retrieved11 September2016– viaBritish Newspaper Archive.
- ^Harris, Pearl."The Historic Pubs of London".Time Travel Britain.Retrieved11 September2016.
- ^Nevins, Jess (10 March 2002)."Notes on League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #2".Retrieved22 September2022.
- ^Moore, Alan; O'Neill, Kevin (1953).The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.Chapter 2: Ghosts and Miracle: Vertigo.ISBN978-1-4012-4083-7.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location (link) - ^"IMDB Trivia about The Old Guard (2020 film)".IMDb.Retrieved19 December2020.
External links
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