The Angel Pub

Words by Simon Difford

Address: 101 Bermondsey Wall East (@ Cathay St), Bermondsey, London, SE16 4NB, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7237 3608
Door: Open door
Style: Pub (traditional British pub)
Food: Set menu
Established: 1850

Review

Lost downriver in suburbia where Bermondsey meets Rotherhithe, opposite the ruins of a fourteenth century manor house built for Edward III, lies one of London's most historic pubs. The original inn was built in the 15th century by monks at the nearby Bermondsey Priory for use as a guesthouse called the Salutation. After the Reformation, it was renamed the Angel in honour of the local lord of the manor and is said to have been patronised by Samuel Pepys and Captain James Cook.

The present building dates back to the 1850s and was thankfully saved by a loving restoration in 2005. The old sash windows of both the ground floor bar and the upstairs lounge offer spectacular views up and down the river. A side door leads out onto a narrow gallery over the Thames where a dozen or so drinkers can sit while water laps the timber piles below.

Like many other historic London pubs this is owned by Samuel Smith's so sadly only that brewery's brands are available. However, the bottled beers are good and drinks cheap. And this is a very comfortable spot from which to appreciate arhetectiual wonder that is Tower Bridge.