Editor Pick
A Castle on the Thames
- July 28, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
eilidhcatriona from London, United Kingdom
The Tattershall Castle is one of the "boat-pubs" moored on the Thames along the Victoria Embankment. It is an attractive navy and white boat, and has an enviable spot on the Westminster side of the Hungerford Bridge.
You can reach the Tattershall Castle from a number of tube stations. It is right beside Embankment station, but is also very close to Westminster, Charing Cross and Temple, and can be easily reached from Covent Garden as well.
The Tattershall Castle has indoor and outdoor areas, with a very large deck area. There are plenty of tables with benches here, some with parasols for those hot summer days. There are also higher tables which you can stand at with a drink, and as icing on the cake, there is a deck bar, removing the need to go downstairs to the indoor bar! There are on deck barbecues in summer time, but I have never sampled these.
Inside, the Tattershall Castle is very nice and clean, and appears to have been refurbished within the last few years. It has plenty of standard tables and chairs, and some lower tables with comfy sofas and armchairs for a lazy drink when you can’t stay outdoors.
The view from the Tattershall Castle has to be its biggest draw for me. From the outside deck, you have a spectacular view of the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament. I’ve been living in London for over two and a half years, and I’m still not tired of these views – so they are bound to be appreciated by visitors as well! From the inside bar, there are large windows along the river side of the boat so you can see the Eye and watch the activity on the river.
The drinks on offer are fairly standard pub fare, with nothing too interesting to report. A pint of Strongbow is around £3.30, so expect to pay normal London prices. In June there was an offer of a free glass of wine with any pasta dish, an offer I have seen before, so if you are planning to eat check out the menu before you get your drinks!
The menu is very good. There are plenty of pub dishes, such as fish and chips, steak sandwich, lasagne etc. There are also plenty of salads and sandwiches. On my most recent visit I had fish and chips, which was delicious. The fish is a very generous size, there were more chips than I could eat, the mushy peas are spot on, and you even get a portion of bread and butter with it. My friend had a leek risotto, which she thoroughly enjoyed. In the past I have visited with friends and family who have sampled burgers, steak sandwich and salads, and all have been delighted with the food. Main courses are on the whole around £9, salads and sandwiches are a little less.
A note on accessibility: as with all the boat pubs, the Tattershall Castle is not necessarily ideal for those in wheelchairs or with mobility problems. If the tide is out, the boat and subsequently the gangway can drop significantly, meaning a steep uphill walk when leaving the pub. This is also not ideal after a few drinks...!!!
The Tattershall Castle is my favourite of the boat-pubs, for the quality of its food, the lovely interior and large deck, and its amazing position on the Thames. I would strongly recommend you include a visit here in a day out in the area – have a stroll along the Embankment, check out Parliament Square and walk up Whitehall, see the lions in Trafalgar Square and do some shopping in Covent Garden. It’s amazing how much there is to see and do in this area.
From journal My Favourite Area of London