Pelican Stairs: The sordid history of the Wapping landmark hidden behind a pub

June 2024 · 2 minute read

At 57 Wapping Wall, there lies the Pelican Stairs to the right side of what is thought to be London’s oldest riverside pub dating from around 1520.

The pub was originally called The Pelican, but it was also referred to as the Devil’s Tavern because of the pub and nearby stairs’ reputation for smugglers and thieves to meet.

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Today, the pub is named The Prospect of Whitby, changing in the late 18th century after a ship was berthed next to the pub. The pub is now a Greene King establishment.

The Prospect of Whitby has a long history in London, having apparently had Samuel Pepys, Charles Dickens, James Whistler and J.M.W Turner as customers. In fact, both Whistler and Turner sketched views from the pub too.

Both the pub and the stairs are also Grade II listed.

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The Pelican Stairs run down the left side of the pub down to the Thames, where in the past people would have passed down the alley on their way to and from ships docked at the river.

The Pelican Stairs are considered a tourist attraction due to their historical significance, as well as the great views of the Thames at low tide it offers.

If you’re ever taking a stroll through Wapping, you should visit the Pelican Stairs, to soak in the sordid past it has been privy to.

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The pub and stairs also feature briefly in an episode of Only Fools and Horses, where Del Boy and Rodney look for Uncle Albert and Rodney is pictured walking out of the pub.

It also appears in BBC’s Whitechapel, when a body is discovered on the Thames shoreline just a stone’s throw away from the Pelican Stairs. DS Miles explains the history of the area to DI Chandler.

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