The Gun Public House Coldharbour Docklands London England UK
The Gun is a Grade II listed riverside pub which dates back to the early 18th century. It is situated on the banks of the Thames in Docklands and is directly across the water from the Millennium Dome and a stone's throw away from Canary Wharf. A terrible fire destroyed much of the interior of the old building and the pub remained closed until September 2004 when Tom ' Ed Martin re-opened the doors. This followed about 9 months of painstaking restoration works in close consultation with English Heritage. The Gun now has a 40 cover dining room in the main bar, a back bar with two snugs, two private dining rooms and a fabulous riverside terrace that seats 50. A brief history of The Gun There has been a public house on the site of the Gun for over 250 years. The surrounding area was home to the dockside iron foundries which produced the guns for the Royal Naval fleets. The pub dates back to the early 18th Century but it took its current name from the cannon which was fired to celebrate the opening of the West India Import Docks in 1802. In the late 18th century Lord Horatio Nelson acquired a property just up the road (still known as Nelson's House) and he regularly visited the docks to inspect the guns up until his glorious death at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Lord Nelson would frequent The Gun and to meet Lady Emma Hamilton in an upstairs room for their secret assignations. The Gun also has a long association with smugglers landing contraband on the site and distributing it via a hidden tunnel. To this day there is still a spy-hole in the secret circular staircase to watch out for "The Revenue Men". As the docks on the Isle of Docks flourished so did the pub, becoming the local for dockers, stevedores and boatmen.
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Photo credit: © Neil Setchfield / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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