A bitter rivalry? Two pubs claim to be London’s oldest riverside pub

What do you look for when choosing a public house?

A wide variety of craft beers and crisp ciders? Decent pub grub? Appropriately pint-stained carpets? Or are you more keen on history?

If it’s the latter, London pubgoers are in a bit of a pickle.

In London’s East End, a pub proudly hangs out a sign that reads “Oldest riverside pub in London.”

Across the Thames River, another pub makes the same bold claim.

That’s right, following the battle for the title of the world’s oldest restaurant in Spain now comes the fight for London’s oldest riverside pub, with both the Mayflower and the Prospect of Whitby laying claim to the title.

Contender Number 1: Mayflower

Named after the Pilgrim Mayflower ship, which set sail from the site in 1620 to begin its journey to America, the pub is said to have some of the ship’s original timbers incorporated into its structure.

Today, pubgoers who can prove direct descent from one of the Mayflower passengers can sign its “Descendants Book.”

Contender Number 2: Prospect  of Whitby

The Prospect claims it was established in 1520, with its original flagstone surviving an arson attack in 1666 – the same year as the Great Fire of London. The pub was outside of the city limits at that time and was not affected by the conflagration that gutted the medieval city.

Justin Billington, assistant manager at the Prospect, said some people date the pub to its full reconstruction in 1774 after the 1666 fire. But he doesn’t see it that way, noting that it operated continuously. The day after the fire, the workers rolled out a barrel of beer that had survived the flames and locals showed up with their tankards, drinking vessels, and enjoyed a drink on the spot.

The pub boasts a pewter bar – the longest of its kind in Britain – where the infamous “Hanging Judge Jeffreys” is said to have watched the many hangings that took place at the nearby “Execution Dock.”  

The pub was once known as the Devil’s Tavern due to its association with thieves and smugglers. A hanging noose outside serves as a reminder of the pub’s grisly history. 

There were several reconstructions in the pub’s history, but none withstood the salt water and shifting foundations of the Thames, Billington explained. Not, that is, until 1774 when the retired captain of a merchant ship called “The Prospect” rebuilt it using the ship.

If the pub was actually established in 1774, that would make the Mayflower – established in the 16th century – older.

But for all the talk of battle, Billington described the competition between his establishment and The Mayflower as a “loving rivalry.”

“We compete against each other to be the oldest, and to serve the best food and drink,” he said.

So, which pub is the oldest, and how can either one definitively claim the title?

Well, for a start, there is no official certification for the oldest pub in London.

Guinness World Records said it has not formally awarded the title because of the complexities created by numerous name changes, relocations and reconstructions.

“There are lots of very old pubs that might make a claim to being oldest, but it could be contested because it could be argued they weren’t always in ‘London,’” stated English historian and author Jacob Field. “Many pubs have changed name over time, making it hard to claim they are the oldest.”

The search continues.

Pint, anyone?