This pub is located in Wapping in the borough of Tower Hamlets. It sits on the bank of the River Thames and features in Chapter 17 of The Hallmarked Man.
As Robin has an unexpected free day, Murphy suggests lunch at The Prospect of Whitby, which was reputed to be the oldest of the pubs that sits along the Thames, with its wood panelled walls and model ships on the windowsills.
Robin and Murphy sit outside the pub watching the river with Robin well wrapped up against the cold. With a glass of wine inside her, Robin concurred with more enthusiasm that they should start house-hunting in earnest (Murphy had sent her details of a house in Wanstead they were to view the next day).
Murphy is cheerful and conversation is easy. Robin feels nothing but affection for her boyfriend. Neither of them speak about Cormoran Strike, but, to complete her good day, Robin receives a text from Strike when buying more drinks at the bar, to say that Barclay has been released with only a caution. ‘Great’ she texts back.
She hadn’t told her CID boyfriend about Barclay’s arrest, so when he asks why she looks so happy on returning to the table she says ‘I’m with you’ and is rewarded with a kiss.
The Prospect of Whitby is a historic public house and lays claim to being the oldest riverside tavern dating from around 1520. It was formerly known as The Pelican and then The Devils Tavern, all that remains from the earliest period is the 400 year old stone floor. The pub features 18th century panelling, a 19th century façade, and is decorated with nautical objects. The pub also has a rare pewter-topped bar. A reminder of The Prospect of Whitby’s dark past can be seen with the noose and gallows that hang off the balcony. The noose marks the spot of the execution dock. The infamous pirate Captain Kidd was sentenced to death there. The building is said to be haunted.
The pub was a meeting place for sailors, smugglers and cutthroats and hangings of pirates and sea-rovers who remained there until three tides had overflowed them. The pub was rebuilt following a fire in the early 19th century.
The pub was used in an episode of Only Fools and Horses and in Whitechapel and features in various novels.
Find the pub on the map below:
The Prospect of Whitby’s website:
https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/prospect-of-whitby
Their Wikipedia page:
wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospect_of_Whitby
Secret London:
secretldn.com/the-prospect-of-whitby-pub
