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Disappointment of the week with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by Moby Duck
Submitted on Saturday, 27th August 2022
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Detail Pages
The Mayflower, Rotherhithe, SE16
SE16
SE16 4NF
Served areas
The Mayflower Pub
A Shard with that Gin? Ice and a slice @MalfyGin @TheShardLondon from the Mayflower Pub Terrace https://t.co/z8z8VGctRK
5:12 PM Jun 12th from Twitter for Android
Reviews of The Mayflower (Average Rating: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Will Larter left this review about The Mayflower
Hmm. I was doing some pubs in London, most of which feature on Camra's inventory of historic pub interiors. This one is an oddity, originally "dating back to 1780, and rebuilt as the Spread Eagle and Crown in the 19th century, war damage led to a major refurbishment in 1957 which created a 16th century style interior, whereupon it was renamed the Mayflower after the ship which in 1620 carried the Pilgrim Fathers to America". So it's a 1957 pub interior made up to look like it's more than 500 years old. That's some historical interest.
It was easily the busiest pub I'd been in this cold and now nearly dark January Tuesday. All tourists of course, and as I was a tourist - albeit a beer and pubs tourist - I was in no position to complain. Everyone was crammed into small seats at small tables with real 17th century candles on them - those olden times people were a lot smaller than modern ones, you know - and I wasn't going to give mine up to go around photographing the "period" features anyway. There were six beers on from obscure breweries; sorry, four obscure breweries plus two from Oakham. I went for the lowest alcohol option as I was now six pubs into a nine pub day, but this was one of those beers that are deliberately made to taste of lemon so that it's difficult to tell when the beer has started to go off.
Sorry, all the fake fittings and furniture and candles and name had brought out the cynic in me. Anyway, no need to come back to this one. Some interesting pictures on the walls, to be fair.
Date of visit: 9th January 2024
On 25th February 2024
- rating: 4
[User has posted 3733 recommendations about 3470 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Mayflower
This has a history dating back to around 1550, when it was the Shippe Inn. It was later known as the Spread Eagle & Crown upon rebuilding in the 1800s, then just the Spread Eagle, the current name arriving in 1958 to commemorate the ship taking the Puritans who set sail for America a stone’s throw from here in 1620. The pub is on CAMRA’s list of pubs with historic interiors, this being of Some Regional Importance.
Sometimes I think CAMRA doesn’t quite appreciate what’s around as the interior, much of which dates from the late ‘50s, gives the visitor a true nautical experience of old, with sturdy wood beams, dark from age and not Dulux. There are simple walls and leaded stained-glass windows, much dark wood and a riot of nautical bric-a-brac, such as a stuffed parrot and rats climbing ceiling mounted rigging; out back there’s a poop deck patio, with fine views out over the Thames. Customers had packed out the pub, even on a Tuesday evening, no doubt drawn in by the quiz, a mixed bunch with a few American tourists in attendance.
No longer a GK outlet (Black Dog pubco since 2013), there was one clip reversed, then Tribute, Kent’s El Dorada, Southwark Brewing’s Full Sail and Bedlam’s Amagansett, a 5% APA at £2.35 a half – how much would Hopwood’s have charged me – served by very friendly and professional bar staff, one barman carefully inspecting glasses of ale after prolonged pull throughs following barrel changes and all deftly skipping over the open cellar hatch, like wallabies.
This is an absolute must-visit at a national level.
Rated 9.75.
On 27th April 2022
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1983 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Mayflower
Haven’t been to this wonderful historic atmospheric pub in the backstreets of Rotherhithe for quite a while, so being in the area decided to look it up again. In these covid pandemic table service only times we were lucky to get a table for a drink opposite the bar in the main section of the pub for an hour or so, but only due to it being pre booked at 6.00PM. But at least the upside due to the covid restrictions were that it did not get uncomfortably crowded which can happen as previously mentioned.
Four of the five ale pumps were in operation with one reverse clipped and alongside the pubs Mayflower Scurvy Ale were Bexley Brewery Golden Acre, East London Brewing Pale Ale and a very decent stout that I failed to make a note of.
Very good service levels from the young team and although we had not intended to eat here we were talked into going for some of the snack dishes by the guy who seemed to be in charge and fortunately the home made scotch egg with Piccalilli lived up to its central London £6 price tag, and the spicy Pattas Bravas (apparently on the menu due to their being an Ecuadorian chef in the kitchen) took no prisioners and were some of the best I’ve had in a long while.
Very good ale, very good food, and a warm atmospheric historic pub on a cold October afternoon, it was actually a bloody good job that they had to move us on at 6.
On 20th November 2020
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
View more reviews of The Mayflower (15)
Pubs Galore is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
- Official site of The Mayflower - www.themayflowerrotherhithe.com
- Randomness Guide to London - Mayflower entry
- Facebook - MayflowerPub
- Twitter - The Mayflower Pub
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Mayflower - whatpub.com
- Historic Pub Interiors - pubheritage.camra.org.uk
Canada Water, 0.52 miles, 9 min walk (show)
Wapping, 2.37 miles, 45 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Beer Garden : Yes - Terrace overlooking the Thames - last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Car Park : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Child Friendly : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Darts : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 27 April 2022 by Tris C
- Function Room : Yes last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Jukebox : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Live Music : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Pinball : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Quiz Night : Yes - Tuesdays. - last updated 27 April 2022 by Tris C
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- Wheelchair Access : No last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
- WiFi : Yes last updated 18 December 2019 by Quinno _
