The Dickens Inn, St Katherine Docks, London.

The Dickens Inn is set over three floors !!. The ground floor was the sawdust floored candlelit drinking area, the first floor was and is set out for more formal dining, with the third floor set aside for booking the two large grandiose rooms.

Now the ground floor is dimly lit to take you back to the era of the 1800s, but the bar and fittings are state of the art, but retain a charm of its own. Looking very period in character.

A taven, restaurant and bar meals, even traditional games are available.

This is again is very close to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. If you would like somewhere to rest and refresh, a nice meal and a great range of drinks, including real ales, this must be on your list !!!.... This inn is just behind the #Guanamo Hotel, or #The Tower Hotel and on #St Katherine's Dock, so never a dull moment. Highly recommend !!!. The size gives you an opertunity to find either a cosy corner or games, plus the large television area to the very far end, you would never know this was there unless you explore !..

This could be your introduction into the walkways along the Thames. You can even get down to the foreshore of the Thames itself, Mudlarking is looking for items in the beach that appears twice a day when the tide is out on the Thames. But more about this in another article.

The only conjecture ?, could Charles Dickens ever have drunk here ?, it seems very unlikely. Probably not, but this has some amazing history and who knows who or what frequents this place at night !!!....

He certainly would have passed this building on a regular basis. Did he know the owner when it was a a warehouse, full of alchahol ?. We will never know.

For more info visit www.dickensinn.co.uk.

Some history...

The building dates from the early 1800 / 1900s, some believe this was actually earlier. The original building was a wooden frame with wattle and daub, or cob infill. This made these buildings a target for the gangs, who could dig their way in !!. The expensive contents, would have made this a lucrative crime. The Rum, a staple for the Royal Navy, with rations of half to a pint per day !!, being made with expensive sugar. Beer, not so much, the gin again not so easy to sell on, but Whiskey and the top selling Tea !. Very expensive still. If the rumours were true many more items would have been stored. Wattle and daub, or cob, was not waterproof. The pretty black wood with white paint is a recent addition to wooden framed structures. White paint, was not available, so what we're or did they look like ?. They were Pink !, Why Pink ?. The only waterproofer for wattle and daub, or cob, was pigs blood !!. Hence the Pink and not white look. Who knew ?... In the 1820s in bid to modernize the warehouse and make it more secure due to the high price of tea and goods within. It would have had some Bonded status, the building had a brick skin built around and into it. Fast forward to the 1970s, the building was in need of some repair and the entire waterfront properties were gaining value at a very high pace. It looked doomed to be demolished. The original site was some 200 yards to the East of its present location. During the rebuild that was extensive, it was said to resemble a three storey balconied Inn of the 18th Century, However even this is disputed as this was not the fashion in the 1800s. This was when in 1976 the building was saved as Sir Charles Dickens, Grandson, Cedric Charles Dickens, purchased the property, It was in May of 1976 that the Inn eventually opened as a public house. Cedric Dickens is quoted as saying My Great Grandfather, Sir Charles Dickens, would have loved this Inn!!!. #hautedlondon