Heverlee 0623
Heverlee 0623

About us

The first official record of the Anchor was made in 1822, however, other records tell of a more macabre past. As well as being the site of a Roman grave and a venue that held bear and bull baiting pits, the site on which the Anchor lies was also allegedly used for plague pits during 1603.

It was most likely that the Anchor owes its name to an early owner of the brewery, Josiah Childs, who gave the pub its current name in 1665. Childs was closely involved with the navy, to whom he supplied ‘Masts, Spars and Bowsprits as well as stores and small beer’. At one time the locals referred to this pub as ‘Thrales of Deadman’s place’, as ‘Thrales’ referred to the brewery at the time.

Sitting just a stone’s throw away from the pub is perhaps its most famous neighbour, the original Globe Theatre site, which stood 1598 to 1613. It is supposed that Shakespeare himself enjoyed a pint of ale or two within the walls of the Anchor. Built within metres of the original site, the modern reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe opened in 1997.

Throughout history, the Anchor has been used as a tavern, a brothel, a brewery, a ship’s chandlers, and has played host to a wealth of notable patrons. It is said that Doctor Samuel Johnson, another of England’s best known literary figures, was a close friend of the Thrale Brewery owners and a regular drinker at the Anchor. As the single most quoted English writer after Shakespeare, Doctor Johnson wrote many essays, poems and books, including his dictionary of the English Language.

In May 1773, the Anchor hosted a superb and unique meal which was attended by influential figures of the time, such as artist Reynolds, Irish poet Oliver Goldsmith, actor and author of ‘Heart of Oak are out Ships’ David Garrick and Irish statesmen Edmund Burke.

It was from this pub that in 1666 famous diarist Samuel Pepys witnessed the awesome destruction of the Great Fire of London. He wrote in his personal diary that he took refuge in ‘a little alehouse on bankside... and there watched the fire grow’. The Great Fire swept through the central parts of London, gutting the medieval City and destroying the majority of London’s homes.

The original building survived the Great Fire of 1666, however ironically burned down sometime later when a fire devastated the area. It was then rebuilt between 1770 and 1775 by Win Allen, to become the superb pub we see today.

The pub contains a room dedicated to the ‘Clink’ prison, which can be found nearby in the aptly named Clink Street. The Clink, owned by the Bishop of Winchester, was built for the detention of religious non-conformists. It was in use from the 12th century until 1780, when it was burned down during the Gordon Riots, never to be rebuilt. The Clink Prison was the first prison in which women were regularly confined.

In more modern times however, the Anchor’s picturesque scenery has been featured in such block busters as ‘Get him to the Greek’ and ‘Mission Impossible I’.

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Facilities

Family friendlyFoodOutside areaReal aleWiFi freeFootballCask Marque
Pub reviews

Reviews

Sonali Bhatnagar

1 month ago

Ordered the fish and chips which were amazing! One of the best I have had in London 😀 Also got Chicken Kyiv was pretty good but very oily. Do grab some beer with it, helps! The staff is friendly and you can request beer tasting before purchase. Def worth a try! Fun atmosphere by the waterfront and chill vibes, grab a table under an umbrella especially to take cover from the London rains. Close to Shakespeare Theatre 🎭.

Denzek Kubík

2 months ago

Super pub right in the center of London. the food was great, the beer too and the atmosphere amazing. we didn't even wait 15 minutes for our food and it was a pub full of people. I definitely recommend visiting this pub when visiting London

Yogesh Gandhi

3 months ago

This old classic style pub is located on the banks of Thames and is on a busy sight seeing route. The insides of the multi storey pub are reminiscent of olden times and are quite charming. The pub has several cosy seating places. The food honestly wasn't upto scratch though. Staff wasn't very helpful or knowledgeable about how they handled vegetarian/vegan food choices. The apple pie was served late and cold with ice cream that had half melted. When I asked the server how they serve apple pie, her answer was: Cold! Well, I would like to hope that was an exception than a norm.

Tamás Papp

4 months ago

We had a nice relaxing time sitting in after hours of strolling in the city. Warm and welcoming atmosphere, mellow lighting with a nice view of Thames. Fun fact: it’s the only tavern that left from Shakespeare’s time and lived through the London fire (with renovation). I definitely recommend to head in while you’re around and check out this historic pub.

Sasaki Akon

7 months ago

The food was amazing everyone was really nice & kind. Surely some improvement of furniture must be done in the future but the general atmosphere is excellent. You should visit Anchor for sure !! The steak & ale pie was 10/10, the fish & chips 8,5/10 (pies was probably only boiled) and the Anchor Burger was an honest 6/10 (fries was just as much, generally it was good but an window of improvement is there).

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Opening Times

Mon11:00 – 23:00
Tue11:00 – 23:00
Wed11:00 – 23:00
Thur11:00 – 23:30
Fri11:00 – 23:30
Sat11:00 – 23:30
Sun12:00 – 22:30
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Heverlee 0623
Heverlee 0623