The Ferry House, E14

The Ferry House is the self professed oldest pub on the Island. Its striking red and white exterior includes an impressive illuminated Courage Brewery sign, which was shining like a beacon in the setting darkness when I left the pub late evening. Inside it’s quite a small pub with a main bar room wrapped around an L shaped bar and then a smaller snug room to the right, next to the toilets and a passage way that takes you out to nice little sunken walled garden area outback. The interior is wood panelling with an equally striking colour scheme that WhatPub described as white and bright orange when the interior was made over in 2016. It’s since mellowed to something closer to a light brown but you still get the feeling that someone had fun with some bright paint pots. Each area contains a flat screen tele and the larger one in the small bar area does tend to dominate this space a bit. But they were showing Wimbledon muted and as it was a game I was interested in I wasn’t too bothered. The bar supports four ale hand pumps but only one is used with a pleasant well kept Brockley Brewery Pale Ale at a very wallet pleasing £4.30 a pint. With good friendly and efficient service from the young barmaid behind the jump this is definitely one of those pubs where if there’s only enough demand for one ale make sure it’s a well kept one, and this was probably my favourite of the three ‘Dogs pubs I tried last night. Footnote: the above review was written before reading the review below, suffice to say my experience was very different. However the pub dog was not in for my visit so it remains unknown how I would have got on for attention against him. But as I tend to get on with our canine friends I am sure he would have allowed me to be served first.

Dating from c. 1722 (rebuilt c. 1749), this claims to be the oldest pub on the Island (Isle of Dogs); it’s also one of just six pubs on the Island, when around 1900 there were roughly 60. On arrival I couldn’t help noticing the red illuminated Courage cockerel box sign; I haven’t seen one of these lit up since the ‘70s when they were commonplace; there’s a Courage sign bracket too. The interior is small, bar to the rear with a bonus in the form of a bar parapet with ‘COURAGE…THE FERRY HOUSE…COURAGE’ in illuminated red letters above a decent etched mirrored bar back. There’s an overall colour scheme of tangerine walls with white ceiling and conventional lighting, with leaded occluded lights. Customers were mixed locals with some studenty types, one of whom was a barmaid who failed to acknowledge my existence. Another barmaid served a regular standing next to me, but I obviously didn’t seem to matter; the dog sitting unhygienically on a stool achieved more recognition than me, so after a patient five-minute wait, I walked. With three unused pumps, there’s just Brockley Pale Ale which I don’t like at the best of times and as no-one else was drinking it, I doubt it would pass muster. It’s a pity about the service – or lack of – as with a decent cask selection this could be a top boozer.

Facebook page of The Ferry House - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Ferry House - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Ferry House - ferrygood.co.uk

Official site of The Ferry House - ferrygood.co.uk