Pub Heritage Shipwrights Arms
Greater London South East - London
One star - A pub interior of special national historic interest
Listed Status: II
88 Tooley StreetLondon, London Bridge
SE1 2TF
Tel: (020) 7378 1486
Email: info@shipwrightsarms.co.uk
Website http://shipwrightsarms.co.uk
Real Ale: Yes
Lunchtime Meals: Yes
Evening Meals: Yes
Nearby Station: London Bridge
Station Distance: 250m
Public Transport: Near Railway Station (London Bridge) and Bus Stop
Bus: Yes
View on: Whatpub
Built in 1884, this pub's main feature is a splendid painted tiled panel of around 1900 by Charles Evans & Co., a west London firm of tile and stained glass manufacturers, showing shipwrights at work beside a choppy River Thames.
The left hand doors originally led to a vestibule entrance lobby including the tiled painting. The interior consists of a central island servery; originally the three outside doors would each have given access to a separate drinking space, but the partitions were removed many years ago. Markings on the floor on the right show where one partition was situated; also, a change in the bar top on the rear left indicates where another one was probably situated.
The forward canted bar counter front looks inter-war with the rear section having fielded panelling, whereas that on the front has vertical panelling. The island gantry-style back fitting is wholly modern. The disused passage at the back, now part of the route to the gents, has a colourful tiled dado and a tall door with inter-war frosted glass in a floor to ceiling screen. The panelling beneath the windows in the bar area also looks inter-war, and unusually to the left of the corner doors a couple of the panels open to allow delivery access to the cellar via a trapdoor in the main pub area.
Three-storey pub of brick built in 1884 with a ground-floor wooden exterior of late C19 or early C20. Note on the exterior a number of stone carvings picked out in cream on a deep blue background and in particular the crouching Caryatid with outstretched arms above the right hand corner doors.
The left hand doors originally led to a vestibule entrance lobby and on the left hand wall is a splendid painted tiled panel of around 1900 showing shipwrights (arms and all) at work beside a choppy River Thames. A steam tug tows barges down the river. The painting is signed by Charles Evans & Co., a west London firm of tile and stained glass manufacturers.
The interior consists of a central island bar, originally this would have been surrounded by at least three separate compartments (the multiple outside doors would each have given access to a separate drinking space.) but the partitions having been removed many years ago. Markings on the floor on the right show where one partition was situated; also, there is a change in the bar top on the rear left indicating where another one might have been situated.
The counter front looks inter-war with the rear section being a fielded panelled style whereas that on the front is upright panels but is also of a canted style. The island gantry-style back fitting is wholly modern. In a disused passage, now part of the route to the gents (now downstairs) has a colourful tiled dado and a tall door with inter-war frosted glass in a floor to ceiling screen.
