Lobster Smack, Canvey Island

This is the only pub on the western section of Canvey Island and is at the end of Haven Road just before you drive into the sea defences. The historical information board on the outside wall informs that there has been a pub on this site since the 1600’s and that it was rebuilt in the 1700’s as The Worlds End, which I can fully appreciate and believe that local residents in the 1700’s must have felt this part of Canvey Island felt like as it still feels a bit like that today, especially more so now with the addition of the nearby oil refinery. Apparently it was the building referred to as the Sluice House in Dickens Great Expectations, which again is entirely possible as Sluice farm still exists nearby today. The pub has a white weatherboarded exterior and two areas of stone flagged external seating with tables and chairs either side of the main entrance. When the pub was originally built it would have had a view of the mouth of the River Thames and the sea beyond. But successive sea wall defence systems culminating in the current famous ( or infamous depending on your point of view) high concrete wall completed in 1982 that now surrounds Canvey means the pub is in the shadow of this large dominating structure. But it does mean that you have an opportunity to inspect and climb it at this point and see for yourself what was featured in all its brooding glory in the excellent Dr Feelgood bio pic, Oil City Confidential. Internally the pub is full of character being two main rooms either side of the main bar with low beamed ceilings and beamed dividers where ones internal walls stood. It clearly has a focus on food to try and attract people to the end of the world, and the left hand room is set as a dining room. But the right hand room is much more pub lounge like with an impressive fireplace and comfortable seating throughout. Then upstairs, accessed by an exterior staircase at the river end of the pub, is the Drifters Bar, usually open in summer or available for hire as a function room all year round. Here again it’s all low ceilings, dark beams and uneven floors with some black and white pictures of local interest, including a good one of Canvey Islands favourite sons in their early years. The downstairs bar supports a bank of four ale hand pumps and I was initially excited to find all four badged. Unfortunately closer inspection revealed that the outside two were advertising apps for smartphone quizzes, leaving Adnams Broadside and Sharps Doombar as the only available ales. I went for the Broadside initially, but it really wasn’t as good as it should have been, so I moved over to the Doombar which was exactly the boring brown bitter this brew has become. The Drifters bar does not have ale pumps but you can bring it up from the downstairs bar, or they will pop down a get ale for you if you are not too busy. So not a destination pub, but if you are on Canvey Island it is well worth a visit for its historical connections. As well as the Dickens connection it was a haunt for smuggling in the 1700’s and infamous for bare knuckle boxing in the 1800’s. More recently, in the 2000,s , it was the meeting and starting point for the annual Lee Brilleaux memorial walk in honour of the Feelgood’s charismatic front man who sadly left us in 1994.

Official site of the Lobster Smack - www.thelobstersmackcanveyisland.co.uk

Official site of the Lobster Smack - www.thelobstersmackcanveyisland.co.uk