Anchor Bankside
Encyclopedia
The Anchor Bankside is a pub in London
, situated on south bank of The Thames next to the London bridge station
.
saw the Great Fire of London
in 1666. He wrote that he took refuge in "a little alehouse on bankside ... and there watched the fire grow". Another fire devastated the pub and it was rebuilt in 1676 and has since had additions over the centuries. It is the sole survivor of the riverside inns that existed here in Shakespeare's time, when this district was the centre and heart of theatre land and the Thames was London's principle highway. At that time the Anchor's interior was mainly constructed of oak and frequented by many actors from the neighbouring playhouses including the Globe, the Swan and the Rose. At a later date the Anchor Tavern was a favourite place for river pirates and smugglers and during the course of repairs carried out in the early 19th Century, the removal of a massive oak beam revealed a perfect nest of ingeniously contrived hiding places probably used for the storage of stolen goods and contraband.
In June 2008, Anchor Bankside recently underwent one of the most costly refurbishments in pub history, at a reported 2.6 million pounds sterling funded by the current owners punch taverns .
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, situated on south bank of The Thames next to the London bridge station
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
.
History
This pub is where diarist Samuel PepysSamuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
saw the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
in 1666. He wrote that he took refuge in "a little alehouse on bankside ... and there watched the fire grow". Another fire devastated the pub and it was rebuilt in 1676 and has since had additions over the centuries. It is the sole survivor of the riverside inns that existed here in Shakespeare's time, when this district was the centre and heart of theatre land and the Thames was London's principle highway. At that time the Anchor's interior was mainly constructed of oak and frequented by many actors from the neighbouring playhouses including the Globe, the Swan and the Rose. At a later date the Anchor Tavern was a favourite place for river pirates and smugglers and during the course of repairs carried out in the early 19th Century, the removal of a massive oak beam revealed a perfect nest of ingeniously contrived hiding places probably used for the storage of stolen goods and contraband.
In June 2008, Anchor Bankside recently underwent one of the most costly refurbishments in pub history, at a reported 2.6 million pounds sterling funded by the current owners punch taverns .