As the sun comes out this summer, many Londoners will be in search of pubs with the perfect beer garden and the Greenwich pub dubbed “the jewel of the Thames” might just be the one.
The Trafalgar Tavern is situated right on the river Thames at Park Row, giving customers the perfect view of the water as they sip their pints.
Robert Scanlon took over as manager of the pub around three years ago, with his first shift being the day covid restrictions were lifted and people could get their drinks from the bar once again instead of relying on table service.
When describing the experience, he said: “It was surreal.
“You can imagine I have gone from my old pub which had been through the restrictions and then the relaxing and I decided to leave and go to the Trafalgar Tavern.
“It was a bit weird because not only was I in a new pub, but we had people walking up to the bar.
“It hadn’t happened for 18 months so it was really interesting, and I will always have that memory of the first day I had here.”
While sometimes on a sunny day it can be tricky to find a table in a London pub, the Trafalgar Tavern is always prepared with a labyrinth of additional rooms and bars it can open.
Across the endless floors of the building, there are five bars in total.
The pub has an expanse of outdoor seating overlooking the river decked out with umbrellas in case it gets too hot.
It is easy to spot from a distance as there are rows upon rows of flags hanging outside representing countries from all over the world.
Inside, the pub has lots of charm and character and if there is a particular piece of art that a customer likes, they can even request a print to take home.
Robert joined the team at the Trafalgar Tavern after a friend of his made the suggestion, telling him that he thought Robert would love this pub.
He added: “I saw the pub and loved it.
“It’s on the Thames and it’s independent so it has real character.
“The owner’s a real character too, all the art on the walls is his and we have the same values, we both really value personality so it’s nice to have someone I can work with and have the same goals.”
Every wall throughout the pub is decked out with nautical-themed artwork, giving it an eccentric and unique sense of character.
The Trafalgar Tavern first opened back in 1837, the year Queen Victoria took to the throne.
It was built on the site of the Old George Tavern and today, the pub has maintained the essence of a nineteenth-century tavern.
Back in the 1800s, it was famous for its whitebait suppers and famous customers such as Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, Wiliam Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli.
Robert loves the fact that the pub is “high-quality” from the team to the food to the beers on draft.
The team has a lot of personality and Robert feels it is” a family business in a sense” as when people join the Trafalgar Tavern they tend to stay.
Robert meets a combination of locals and tourists at his pub with a relatively even split of the two.
However, he did say that if you were to count Londoners who live outside of Greenwich as tourists, that there are probably just about more tourists than locals.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel