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The Alphabet Of Lost Pubs D-G

October 29, 2016
by the gentle author

Rather a classy selection this week, including plenty of dukes and earls, as we travel from D-G in the second part of my series of The Alphabet of Lost Pubs. This phantom pub crawl is presented in collaboration with Heritage Assets who work in partnership with The National Brewery Heritage Trust, publishing these historic photographs of the myriad pubs of the East End from Charrington’s archive for the first time.

The Dartmouth Arms, 162 Bidder St, Canning Town, E16 (Opened 1816, rebuilt 1939, closed 2013 and now a nightclub)

The Dew Drop Inn, 22 Brydges Rd, Stratford, E15 (Opened prior to 1874, closed in 2011 and is now demolished)

The Duke of Edinburgh, 17 Jultand Rd, Plaistow, E13 (Opened prior to 1872 and closed in 2010)

The Duke of Gloucester, 26 Seabright St, Bethnal Green, E2 (Opened prior to 1839 and now demolished)

The Duke of Gloucester, 154 Pitfield St, Hoxton, N1 (Opened prior to 1834 and now demolished)

The Duke of Lancaster, 21 John St, Kinsgland Rd, E2  (Opened prior to 1872 and now demolished)

The Duke of Sussex, 94 Goldsmith’s Row, Haggerston, E2 (Opened prior to 1842, now called The Albion)

The Duke of Wellington, 63 Brady St, Bethnal Green, E2 (Opened prior to 1859, closed in 2002 and demolished in 2008)

The Dunstan Arms, 50 East Rd, City Rd, N1  (Opened prior to 1839 and now demolished)

The Durham Arms, 24 Stephenson St, Canning Town, E16 (Opened prior to 1855, badly damaged by enemy action on 20th March 1941, reopened 2nd December 1948, closed in 2015 and now open again)

The Eagle, 157 Chobham Rd, Stratford, E15 (Opened prior to 1859 and open today)

The Earl Amhurst, 19 Amhurst Rd, Hackney (Opened prior to 1870 , demolished in 2004 and now an office block)

The Earl of Aberdeen, 118 Bridport Place, Hoxton, N1 (Opened prior to 1856 and now demolished)

The Earl of Beaconsfield, 211 Grange Rd, Plaistow, E13 (Opened prior to 1878, damaged by enemy action on 6th January 1941, reopened on 20th June 1941, closed 2002 and demolished 2007)

The Earl of Essex, 107 Sceptre Rd, Bethnal Green, E2 (Opened prior to 1891 and now demolished)

The Essex Brewery Tap, 2 Markhouse Rd, Walthamstow (Opened prior to 1859, closed in 2006 and now a fitness club)

The Ferndale, 40 Cyprus Place, Beckton, E6 (Opened prior to 1886, closed 2006 and now residential)

The Old Five Bells, 535 Old Ford Rd, E3 (Opened prior to 1826 and now demolished)

The Fleetwood Arms, 85 Pritchards Rd, Hackney Rd, E2 (Opened prior to 1869 and now demolished)

The Flower Pot, 43 Old Bethnal Green Rd, E2 (Opened prior to 1872, rebuilt 1908 and now offices)

The Forester, 15 Arline St, Hackney Rd, E8 (Opened prior to 1872 and now demolished )

The Fountain, 86 Jamaica St, Stepney, E1 (Opened prior to 1848, closed 1934 and now demolished)

The Fountain Tavern, 436 Mile End Rd, Stepney, E1 (Opened prior to 1833, changed name to La Luna in 2004 and demolished in 2010)

The Fox, 81 Boleyn Rd, Stoke Newington, N16 (Opened 1866, demolished 1938)

The Freemasons’ Tavern, 61 Howard Rd, Stoke Newington, N16 (Opened 1866, demolished 1959)

The Gardeners Arms, 103 York Hill, Loughton (Opened prior to 1848 and open today)

The George & Dragon, 13 Beech St, Cripplegate, EC1 (Opened  prior to 1796 and now demolished)

The Gibraltar Tavern, 28 Gibraltar Walk, Bethnal Green, E2 (Opened prior to 1750 and now demolished)

The Gladstone, 129 St Leonards Walk, Poplar, E14 (Opened 1869, closed 1962 and now demolished)

The Golden Anchor, 221 St John St, Clerkenwell, EC1 (Opened prior to 1811, closed in 1919 and now demolished)

The Goldsmiths’ Arms, 1 Albion Buildings, St Bartholomew Close, EC1 (Opened prior to 1796, closed in 1921 and now demolished)

The Gosset Arms, 11 Gosset St, Bethnal Green, E2 (Opened prior to 1856, closed 1990 and now residential)

The Grange Tavern, 6 Richmond Rd, London Fields, E5 (Opened prior to 1866, demolished and replaced by flats in 2001)

The Green Dragon, 123 Well St, Hackney, E9 (Opened prior to 1732 and closed in 1956, now demolished)

The Grosvenor Arms, 33 Mountmorres Rd, Stepney, E1 (Opened prior to 1839, closed in 1944 and now demolished)

The Gunmakers Arms, 15 Eyre St Hill, Clerkenwell, EC1 (Opened prior to 1848 and open today)

The Gunmakers Arms,  51 Solebay St, Mile End, E3 (Opened prior to 1836 and now demolished)

Photographs courtesy Heritage Assets/The National Brewery Heritage Trust

You may also like to take a look at

The Alphabet of Lost Pubs A-C

The Pubs of Old London

At the Pub with John Claridge

At the Pub with Tony Hall

Alex Pink’s East End Pubs, Then & Now

Anthony Cairns’ East End Pubs

13 Responses leave one →
  1. October 29, 2016

    I have never heard of a pub called ‘The Flower Pot’ before. It’s a great name, as is ‘The Green Dragon’, which is more traditional but overshadowed by the ubiquitous ‘Red Dragon’.

    There were so many pubs in the Victorian period and the pub was a popular social destination till quite recently. I had put this down to the smoking ban and cultural change but, as the actor Neil Stuke has publicised on Twitter, some Breweries charge very high rents, making it hard for landlords to make a living. Unsuccessful pubs are then sold off to property developers.

    In the North Western town where I come from they say that in Victorian times there would be a pub at one end of the street and a chapel at the other. My mother grew up in a end terrace in the 30s and 40s and across the way was a Sunday School Mission where she went every Sunday. There were two pubs on the road which ran parallel at the bottom. This kind of local social geography was replicated in early ‘Coronation Street’ with the ‘Rovers’ at one end and the ‘Mission’ at the other.

  2. Eddie Johnson permalink
    October 29, 2016

    Great pictures, pity Mann. Crossmans records destroyed during war. I still visit the Gardners Arms has been run for last 30 years by Tracey & her Mum Pat. Tracey is the best pub cook doed miles around, her salt beef sandwiches and her herring roes on toast are famous, still lovely old fashioned pub atmosphere.

  3. Richard permalink
    October 29, 2016

    You missed The Grave Maurice – Whitechapel Rd. Much loved in it’s prime, much missed.

  4. October 29, 2016

    The photos bring back good memories, but it is sad that so many have been demolished. Valerie

  5. October 29, 2016

    Found myself giving a little cheer and fist pump at each survivor. BTW I should like to know a good deal more about The Grave Maurice. My mother lived in Peckham during the war until they were bombed out and her father (and mother) worked at the pub at the end of the road, The Lugard Tavern. Cannot find any photos of it. If anybody knows….I am here daily. Cheers and good health!

  6. Adele permalink
    October 29, 2016

    Cringed each time I read ‘and now demolished’.

  7. Rob permalink
    October 29, 2016

    London has been – and is being – robbed of its culture and the heart of its communities

  8. Ian Silverton permalink
    October 29, 2016

    The Flower Pot,Old Bethnal Green Road,was run by a former Boxer,who won Olympic medals in America in the late 1890s I think,he had all his cups and medals on display in the pub,nice man,new him as a boy,his son then took over the running of the SMALL PUB,one tiny bar. great pictures GA,cannot wait for the Ws to appear,and see my old home.

  9. Jane permalink
    September 20, 2017

    What a sad read really, these were like community halls families friend,wedding, funerals, christenings, bank holidays all spent together I grew up in East London these were very much part of everyone’s life. What’s sad is there are no more communities it’s social cleansing, fat cats buying then turning into luxury flats killing the areas atmosphere. Properties are so high in price that locals are forced out. So now we have coffee shops where everyone’s on a device like robots. (Irony is these very profit making places don’t have to pay what the pubs did as there’s a tax break loop hole) sorry for the rant I just think these local areas have been ruined.

  10. bob stevens permalink
    March 17, 2018

    There used to be a pub called The North Pole,
    on the junction of Pitfield St.and East Rd, and Murray Grove …My old Grandad said a hand thrown bomb from a zeppelin landed on the junction and blew out all the windows…he said it took the patrons about 10 minutes to liberate every drop of alcohol in the place and a fine time was had by all

  11. Ally permalink
    August 18, 2019

    I came across this list of lost pubs, because I had heard that the lyric in Disco 2000 by Pulp.. “…let’s meet at 2’o clock, by The Fountain down the road.” referred to a pub in Mile End, frequented by Jarvis Cocker back in the day, so wanted to find out any truth in its existence – low and behold, The Fountain Tavern, 436 Mile End Road – it existed!

    I’ve lived in the east end since 2010 (Stepney/Limehouse/Hackney) so enjoyed this list of areas I know so well but echo everyone’s thoughts here about how sad it is that most of the beautiful buildings have been demolished and the history lost.

    Right, off to check out the rest of the alphabet. Keep up the good heritage work!

  12. Annie permalink
    July 28, 2020

    I remember the North Pole in Pitfield Street. A friend who lived in Murray Grove also told me that story.

    Does anyone remember the Grey Eagle in Grey Eagle Street, Spitalfields/Bethnal Green? Lots of happy memories of that pub. I wonder what happened to it? It’s probably gone, so much of the East End has been ‘improved’ and gentrified now it’s almost unrecognisable.

  13. Maggie Hambleton permalink
    March 13, 2022

    Does anyone have any information regarding The Downs pub on Downs Park Road please? It’s now flats.

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