Turners Old Star, Wapping, E1

As far as interesting back stories go, this pub has to be up there with the best of them. Originally comprising two cottages, the pub came into being when the artist J M Turner bought the cottages and converted them into a pub so that he could install his mistress - a recently widowed landlady from Margate - as the proprietor. He named the pub 'Old Star' and continued seeing the landlady until his death in 1851. The pub was renamed 'Turner's Old Star' in 1987 to celebrate this rather remarkable genesis. The pub looks rather attractive on approach and has a lot of evocative old Taylor Walker livery on display. A corner porch boasts some ornate glasswork and leads into a small bare boarded L-shaped room with a similarly shaped servery to the rear left. The bar has an angular counter that zigzags its way across the room in quite a satisfying way. The counter is a marvellous chunky old specimen with a decorative dado and some carved columns, whilst above there is a fine canopy with nice etched glass and beautifully worked support pillars. The bar back is fitted out in a darker wood and also has some nice details, with decorative panes between each section and a rather incongruous gnome collection on the top. A second, smaller porch to the right has more of the etched glasswork and a mocked up Turner's Old Star road sign and to the rear there is a smart tiled fireplace with a nice painting above. Standard tables and chairs with a few low stools run around the perimeter under a wonderful mix of stained and etched glass windows. To the left is a small side room with half panelled walls and more bare boards, which makes the space echo quite a lot. The room opens into the main bar and is dominated by a pool table. A couple of TV screens were showing the day's early FA Cup fixture and I think I spotted a juke box, although it might have been one of those electronic advertisement boards. There are three hand pumps here, but only one was operational on this visit, serving a very good pint of Fullers London Pride for £3.70. The barmaid was very friendly, stopping to help an elderly visitor enter the pub before serving me. I'm told that the pub usually has Sharps Doom Bar and/or a guest ale on as well, but with the Pride drinking so well, I wasn't too fussed by this omission. This is a lovely, down-to-earth local's pub of the sort that are increasingly vanishing under the wave of gentrification engulfing the capital. There are plenty of interesting period features throughout which, combined with the pub's unusual history, makes it worth a pilgrimage in its own right. Finding some excellently kept ale on the bar was a real bonus and whilst this isn't going to set the pulses racing in terms of ale range, it's well worth a look should you ever find yourself in Wapping.

First time to visit this attractive old school corner local for many a moon and it was good to find it still functioning in the back streets of Wapping. I remember it as being a real spit and sawdust type of place back in the day and although the small one room interior has obviously been brought up to date, it’s still fairly basic when compared to the food and tourist led Town of Ramsgate and Captain Kidd down by the Thames. Not very busy for my visit but still a few ‘old characters’ ensconced on the bar stools on this early evening. Sadly however, for me to the ale offering was a disappointment with only London Pride going with the Elgoods reversed clipped and the other pump not in use. And it would be fair to say I’ve had better pints of Pride. So could not agree more, a friendly welcome and some historic interest but this pub could benefit greatly from a greater attention to the quality and offering of its ale. And if it had a couple of well kept beers from the plethora of small breweries now functioning within the East London post code , this would be a much more interesting pub to visit..

Attractive, old-school pub retaining some heritage features within the 'L'-shaped bar. Limited amount of fairly basic furniture, with a pool table at the far end. Garden "closed" according to a notice on the door. Two of three handpumps in operation, offering Pride and (Elgoods) Old Star Special (£3.55, 3.8%, and not fresh - very poor for a Cask Marque accredited establishment). Friendly welcome and some historic interest but they need to be more careful with the beer they serve.

Official site of The Turners Old Star - www.turnersoldstar.co.uk

Official site of The Turners Old Star - www.turnersoldstar.co.uk