Walk the maritime heart of East London on an unforgettable stroll through one of the London’s most important, yet underrated neighborhoods – Limehouse.
If you’re hunting for hidden gems in London walking tours, this is your pint-sized guide to one of the city's most storied and underrated neighborhoods. From pirate captains to George Washington’s favorite porter, Limehouse has some surprising links to the British Empire, and the new world.
Yes, we will take you deep into Limehouse London history, a place of maritime grit, Dickensian lore, and some of the oldest riverside pubs in London.
From the preserved warehouses turned luxury flats of Narrow Street Limehouse to the winding banks of the Limehouse Basin, we uncover:
• The Grapes pub, co-owned by Sir Ian McKellen—and maybe linked to Charles Dickens.
• The Star of the East pub—a Victorian relic turned local treasure.
• The pub once known as The Barley Mow, now Gordon Ramsay’s Limehouse Breadstreet Kitchen gastro hotspot.
• The tale of a porter recipe that crossed the Atlantic to George Washington’s pint glass.
This isn’t just a London history podcast. Whether you're looking for unique London experiences, London pub crawl ideas, or a history fan of London docklands history and London maritime history, you’ll find something here.
Expect tales of:
• One-armed pirates and Empire builders.
• London’s lost Chinatown, opium dens, cholera outbreaks, and wartime pub survivors.
• Victorian police blotters, mysterious mummies, and famous beer shipments.
• How London’s pub scene shaped cities and colonies. Thank you, Christopher Newport.
• How Limehouse Basin helped launch the British Empire’s shipping might.
This episode is part of your essential London travel podcast and pub history podcast lineup. Don't miss these London travel tips if you're tired of the typical sights and want to explore hidden spots in London, and unique London experiences that often even locals miss.
Perfect for fans of: Historic London pubs, London walking tours, pub history podcast, London podcasts, and hidden gems London.
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Google map with pubs covered in previous episodes pinned, courtesy of Andy Meddick:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1xXDGJSfJIUy2gw_6uCASi-C45FpOg_M&usp=sharing
Or TinyURL: https://tinyurl.com/4xhc8w2s
The following resources are referenced or quoted frequently in these episodes:
- Ted Bruning -- Historic Pubs of London (ISBN 978-0658005022) and London By Pub (ISBN 978-0658005022)
- Wikipedia
Additionally, the following resource(s) were used / quoted in this episode:
Limehouse Area History:
https://alondoninheritance.com/londonpubs/house-they-left-behind/
https://www.londonpicturearchive.org.uk/view-item?i=122172&WINID=1749070788344
https://zythophile.co.uk/2010/10/04/taylor-walker-the-brewery-name-that-just-wont-die/
The Grapes
Tim Hampson, London’s River
Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com
E-mail: hosteric@historiclondonpubcast.com
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