Cutty Sark, Greenwich, SE10

The Union Tavern, renamed in 1954 upon the arrival of the eponymous whiskey sponsor is a bit off the beaten track, situated next to a disused power station. A mixed bag internally: some of the beams to the fireplace surround are fabulous Jacobean members which were once part of a ship's superstructure. Thereafter black beams are of questionable provenance and the grand central staircase is relatively modern, designed to give the impression of having been salvaged from a galleon and leading up to two further floors (this is a three-storey pub), the top one being the Crow's Nest which offers spectacular views out towards Canary Wharf and the Millennium Dome. You can also see the powerful green laser beam which bisects the Greenwich Meridian and shines directly into the flight path of aircraft using City Airport - I thought it was illegal to shine lasers at aircraft... There's some more modern t 'n' g panelling, bare brick walls and a flagstone floor. Paint, where it is applied is the ubiquitous shade of smoky 'gastro blue'. The crowd in here is civilised and generally younger; some may be students from the University of Greenwich. A friendly barman presided over a standard Young's array (Bitter, Gold and Special), thereafter Wimbledon Brewery's Phoenix and Truman's Zephyr which was good but perhaps a tad warm; at £4.25 a pint I suppose this is what you pay for a pub of this type and in this location. I'd certainly come here if in the area - which happens about once every 15 years - if only for the view. This is vastly superior to the Yacht to the west and nightclub-cum-pub the Trafalgar. To sum up: nautical but nice.

Nice enough place had a good pint of Young,s bitter 3.7% but the JAZZ MUSIC WAS APPALLING. ok if your into it but sorry not for us at 2pm in the afternoon

Official site of Cutty Sark Tavern - www.cuttysarkse10.co.uk

Riverside pub in a prime location overlooking the Thames, with a distinctive façade incorporating a huge bay window at first and second-floor level including the name in large letters. Traditional interior with various seating areas on two levels, with a substantial staircase linking them. Patio seating area at the front. Five handpumps, offering Pride, Bengal Lancer and Spring Sprinter (£3.60) with Seafarers and Castle Rock Harvest Pale temporarily off.

Official site of Cutty Sark Tavern - www.cuttysarkse10.co.uk

Apparently dating back to Georgian times, the Cutty Sark is a two storey pub in a prime location on the Thames. Unlike its peers, the Trafalgar and Yacht, this pub does not overhang the river but the large bay window of the first floor affords nice views towards the isle of Dogs and the Millennium Dome. For those that wish to take in the river air on a clement day there are some picnic tables that line the river wall on the other side of a quiet and narrow road. I only popped my head upstairs as it seemed to be busy with diners during my recent Monday lunchtime visit. I had a peak at the traditional pub food menu and found that the mains start at £11, which I didn’t think overly expensive for the area. I didn’t eat so I know not of the quality, but the large homemade scotch eggs on the bar looked tempting. The bar is stocked with a few premium and standard draught products and I counted five hand pumps. These were drawing Young’s Blonde, London Gold, Special and Ordinary alongside Sambrook’s Wandle, which was off during my visit. The interior décor is what one would expect for a pub that plays on its heritage. There is a large central staircase that takes up quite a lot floor space and the large tables in the bay windows also make this pub feel very ‘cosy’. There was some music form the fifties playing softly in the background and the small plasma at the end of the bar was off. Unsurprisingly there were no live sport advertisements. I found the service to be very friendly and a small glass of orange juice set me back £1. I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit here again, but as a watering hole for passing tourists this place serves its purpose well.

The Cutty Sark is a historic riverside tavern albeit the history appears to be a bit muddled. The current building was apparently built in 1810 and was called the Union Tavern albeit the signage outside says the pub was established in 1795. There was an earlier pub called the Green Man here dating from the mid 18th century. What is clear is that the name was changed to the Cutty Sark in the 1950’s after its namesake clipper was moved from Greenhithe to its current dry dock location a short stroll down the riverbank. The first thing that strikes you as you approach along the riverside walk is the impressive bay frontage with the pub name emblazoned in large letters across it. Internally the pub is split over 2 floors with a large open staircase in the centre. Much of the interior is wooden with many a creaking floorboard and chunky beam. Some of the remnants of the original rooms are evident with the names spelt out in the paneled glazing. The furnishings are all solid and sturdy with several barrels converted for seat and table usage in the main downstairs bar. The lighting is quite subdued and on a cold winter night the glow from the stove in the old brick fireplace is quite appealing. Upstairs is a series of interconnecting rooms with lots of pew seats and a few maps, barometers and nautical bits. The prime spot of the pub is probably in the upstairs bay frontage that affords fine views across the river to Canary Wharf and down to the Dome. There is also a strip of seating outside on the riverbank itself. Despite being a freehouse, my latest visit was a bit top heavy on the Fullers side with Pride, Seafarers, Bengal Lancer and Jack Frost with Butcombe Bitter being the only interloper. Prices are a bit hefty (the Butcombe was £3.35) but I don’t mind a few extera pennies to drink in a place with character. I’ve always found the pub to be quite atmospheric and a friendly enough place and whilst it has its detractors regarding service and beer quality, it’s never been a major issue on my visits and this remains one of my favourite watering holes in the area.

Randomness Guide to London - Cutty Sark entry

Randomness Guide to London - Cutty Sark entry

This seems to be a fairly welcoming Greenwich pub with an excellent riverside location. I had the St Austell Brewery Tribute, which was in fine form, but fairly expensive, even by London standards, at £3 a pint. Food seemed to be pretty poor value – a ploughmans at £8.95 contained some rubbery cheddar and a small pork pie that looked to be of Tesco value range quality, plus an inadequate bit of brown pickle that didn’t look good enough to be Branston’s. No problem with places charging top prices, but if so they should provide decent quality. Nonetheless, a nice enough place to stop for a quiet pint in pleasant surroundings.

The building itself and the superb river views aside, the pub is very large and feels rather impersonal. This is of course probably due to its location and history as I suspect most trade is passing/tourist based. Anyway I enjoyed a decent pint of St Austell tribute in the upstairs bay window overlooking the river, even if it was three quid! London Pride and Brain's Reverend James on too yesterday. Didn't eat but the menu looked ok, standard pub fare generally around a tenner.