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Disappointment of the week with Mobyduck
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The Mayflower, Rotherhithe, SE16
SE16
SE16 4NF
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 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 3734 recommendations about 3471 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]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Mayflower
Must visit pub, for those with an interest in history.
Story well told - from this site the Mayflower set sail for American in 1620. The captain is buried in the churchyard opposite.
The pub is completely old world. Leaded windows, door to the. A bottom bar full of nick nacks and nautical pictures. An upstairs terrace for dining. Low ceiling and lighting make you think you are in any century since the mayflower set sail.
Greene King house. Around four handpulls from independent breweries - Redemption Hopspur in reasonable condition.
Cheese board looked intriguing.
On 13th January 2020
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1337 recommendations about 1323 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Mayflower
A wonderful old atmospheric tick box pub in the backstreets of Rotherhithe. Inside is a tight, L shaped layout with much in the way of 17th century olde worlde charm (leaded windows, fireplaces, wooden beams etc many of which are good reproduction – the pub was rebuilt in the mid 1800’s and then again after being bombed during the war), and oodles of nautical ephemera everywhere, more than you can possibly take in on a single visit. Atmospherically dark and low-lit inside, there are a few nooks and crannies to find a seat in and pretend it’s 1719 rather 2019. However it gets very crowded, and atmospheric can turn to claustrophobic very quickly here at certain times of day I’d imagine. To the outside rear is a large area of covered decking with river views. Five ales on the go, I sampled the Old Dairy Green Hop (NBSS 4), Oakham Bishops Farewell (3) and one from Bexley (2.5). If you’re in the area this is a must-visit. 8.5
On 18th December 2019
- rating: 9
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Mayflower
Lovely old pub backing on to the Thames,beers on were Mayflower Session IPA,Twickenham Naked Ladies,St Austell Tribute and an exceptionally good Kent Citra, plus Old Rosie Cider. A bit busy Sunday lunchtime With people dining but didn't detract from the pub.
On 8th July 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
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Blackthorn _ left this review about The Mayflower
A decent looking pub tucked away in the back streets of Rotherhithe and just around the corner from the Brunel Museum, it is named after the ship that carried the Pilgrim Fathers to America which departed nearby. A terrace at the rear offers views of the Thames and the building opposite and a notice warns that your feet may get wet at high tide! The rear door from here to the pub is also clearly a waterproof affair.
Internally it’s got a rustic, olde worlde charm with all manner of bits and pieces covering every available surface. Essentially it’s all one open plan room, although divided in to a few different areas. There are leaded windows at the front of the pub and wood strip flooring, along with some exposed brick walling. An attractive brick built fire-place was towards the rear of the pub and there were a few wooden beams on the ceiling as well as substantial looking supporting timberwork. A few pictures on the wall documented the ship from which the pub takes it’s name, as well as other historical notes. The pub was liberally adorned with tankards, miner’s lamps, model ships, stuffed birds, candelabra and a stag’s head among other things.
Beers on tap were Mayflower Scurvy Ale, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Robinson’s Trooper, Evans Evans Britannia and Oakham JHB. Ciders meanwhile were Aspall’s Harry Sparrow and Rosie’s Pig. All in all, a lovely old pub and definitely worth making the effort to get to.
On 13th April 2017
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1947 recommendations about 1860 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Mayflower
Just a short distance from Rotherhithe station, this is a fantastic old pub dating back to 1780 and capturing a sense of what a historic riverside pub might have felt like, in a way that so many other Thames tourist-trap venues fail to achieve. You enter into a dark room in which pretty much every surface is clad with dark wood, thereby adding to the low light and atmospheric feel. There's a small, traditional seating area to the front of the pub, under some lattice windows, which looked a little cramped and, much like the rest of the pub, was busy with diners on a Saturday lunchtime. The servery runs down the right hand side of the building and is directly opposite the entrance. It is a real sight to behold with all its decorative dark wood features and a canopy straining under the weight of ship's wheels, model ships, life rings, tankards and all manner of other bits. A bust stands on the end of the bar counter, wearing a headdress made from teeth and facing a couple of pew formed booths in which the pews are the star with their ship's head end pieces and witty quotes painted along the sides. Further along this left hand side, there is a raised seating area under a rare section of bare brick wall which is focused around a nice fireplace and a few more seats are squeezed into the rear right corner, past the end of the bar. The whole room is liberally decorated with an eclectic range of items, much of which seems like it might have come from an 18th Century riverside boozer, including mounted fish, ship's wheels, pulleys, masts, deer skulls, cages, stuffed birds (including what looked very much like a dodo to me), oil paintings, salvers, lamps, flags, keys and a few stuffed rats running along the rafters. It's a nice overall effect, even if it is perhaps a little contrived for the tourist market. To the rear there is a rather bland covered decked area with lots of bench seating. I'm guessing that the covering disappears in the summer months, as the decking forms part of a wonderful private jetty which offers some great views of the river. With the cover in place, only a small strip of the jetty affords this view and despite the poor weather, I made my way out here and watched river life pass by.
There is a pretty good row of handpulls on the bar and these were offering Greene King London Glory and Abbot's Reserve, Dark Star Hophead, Saddler's One Stop Hop, Belhaven Smoke Stack Stout and a house beer called Mayflower Scurvy Ale. My pint of the One Stop Hop was in good nick and my only real gripe was that every table was occupied by diners, making it difficult to get comfortable inside.
This is a quality pub with a good beer selection and arguably the best interior of any Thames pub this side of Big Ben. I thought the place suggested a keen eye for detail and a strong focus on quality - two attributes that set it apart from the vast majority of tourist-based pubs. I really enjoyed this visit and was slightly amazed that I'd never been before, having been a frequent visitor to Rotherhithe for five or six years in the mid 00's. It was certainly worth the wait and if you're looking for a riverside pub with which to impress visitors to London, this is a very good bet.
On 31st January 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Mayflower
A 16th Century pub steeped in history, serving good food and good beer. The pub also has a experience Dickensian London, every Sunday when the pub is lit by candles and called 'Blackout Sunday'. The majority of the customers here try to find space out back on the timber jetty. I liked the small front room with leaded windows and the booths opposite the bar area. Beer wise we went for the GK Golden Breeze IPA and Black Wolf Brewery IPA, both were in good shape.
On 1st August 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roy Collins left this review about The Mayflower
Great location overlooking the Thames with an interesting decor and good selection of beers.The Scurvy ale was in good form and £4 a pint.
On 22nd April 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 124 recommendations about 121 pubs]