Captain Kidd, London

Posted on 10. Aug, 2011 by Robert Gale in Pubs

Captain Kidd, Wapping, London

The Captain Kidd is a Samuel Smith owned pub located in a prime location on the northern bank of the River Thames in Wapping, East London.

Brief History

According to the excellent London’s Riverside Pubs by Tim Hampson, the Captain Kidd is an old warehouse and was only converted into a pub in the late 1980s. Named after Captain Kidd who was hanged at nearby Execution Dock in 1701 for piracy, the building has no connection with him.

Location and Interior

The pub is one of a handful that are located on the banks of the Thames in central London and it has perhaps the best views of them all. Not only do they have excellent views from inside the pub, they also have a large beer garden to the side.

The three storey building is spacious and full of bare bricks, stone floors and heavy beams. The rear of the pub over looks the Thames and has two large bay windows that open outwards. The seats are perfect for a small party to enjoy a few drinks on a sunny day.

Outside are plenty of benches including some that look out onto the Thames. Even on a windy day, it’s still a great place to watch the tourist boats sailing past. And as it’s located next door to London’s river police, you may catch them going out on a call.

Regular bar food such as burgers, fish and chips and pies are served downstairs and according to London’s Riverside Pubs there’s a more upmarket restaurant upstairs called the Gallows. After reading reviews on the web, it does appear that the upstairs restaurant closed in 2010. I’m not sure if it has since reopened.

The Beer

Being owned by the Samuel Smith Brewery, you can expect a full range of their beer at prices that are hard to beat in London. Not everyone is a fan of the brewery, either for their beer or for other reasons, so despite it’s prime location, you may not visit.

Visiting the Captain Kidd

The pub is a short distance west from Wapping Overground station and the 100 bus which you can catch from Tower Hill runs directly outside.

More Photos of the Captain Kidd

Venue Location

Captain Kidd

108 Wapping High Street

London

E1W 2NE

Tel: 020 7480 5759

View on Google Street View

Robert Gale (Twitter: @awv)

Beer Taster, Pub Attendee, Photo Taker

Robert Gale likes beer, pubs and beer festivals. He also likes to take photos of beer, pubs and beer festivals. Most weekends of the year you can find him travelling around the UK (and sometimes beyond) photographing and reviewing good quality pubs and beer festivals. He also has a day job in the form of a web developer for Ozum.