Turners Old Star, Wapping, E1

Randomness Guide to London - Turner's Old Star entry

Randomness Guide to London - Turner's Old Star entry

As you walk up to this pub you see a pub that looks exactly what it is – a backstreet locals’ pub. There was just one real ale on when I visited – the ubiquitous London Pride. Unfortunately it went off straight away, and I went for the keg Whitbread Bitter (not sure who brews that), which also went off as soon as I ordered it. Just bad luck with the Pride I suppose. They didn’t seem to be doing any food, although there was a (empty and switched off) heated food container at one end of the bar – the sort that would have contained a few hot pies and pasties, and were standard issue in pubs thirty or forty years ago. This pub was once owned by the great artist, Joseph Turner, and there is a large plaque on an outside wall giving the history of the place, plus a sketch of the great man hanging above the fireplace on the inside. A large part of the floor is covered with hardboard, which I guess must represent work in progress in replacing the flooring. The furnishings are normal basic tables and chairs, no sofas or such fancy fripperies here. There is a pool table and dartboard in a separate room to the left; a one armed bandit; a large screen TV on the wall but switched off; and they were playing some of the usual banal pop music. There’s not much to make this pub stand out from its peers, except perhaps for the unusual feature of the green painted ceiling. Actually I didn’t mind this pub even though it has to be said that it is a bit basic, but I certainly wouldn’t rush back to sample the ales on offer!