Rotherhithe (Redriffe)

Map

The overlays that highlight 17th century London features are approximate and derived from Wenceslaus Hollar’s maps:

Open location in Google Maps: 51.499628, -0.035398

8 Annotations

First Reading

Glyn  •  Link

From the above link: "But the village's greatest claim to fame came in 1620, when the Mayflower sailed for America carrying the Pilgrim Fathers from a pub then called The Shippe - and now renamed The Mayflower."

It's a pleasant riverside pub-restaurant to go for a drink in the summer, and understandably is popular with American visitors. I'd recommend going on the outside decking in the evening and watching the sun set on the river - very pleasant.

Captain Christopher Jones and 3 other co-owners of the Mayflower are buried in the little church opposite - have a look at the charming painted statues of Quaker-type children above the doors.

But unlike Pepys I wouldn't care to walk from Rotherhithe to Deptford - today it's built up and (I feel) a little dangerous at night.

Second Reading

Bill  •  Link

Redriff, a corruption of Rotherhithe. The immortal Gulliver was, as Swift tells us, long an inhabitant of Redriff.

Have I for this thy tedious absence borne,
And waked, and wished whole nights for thy return?
In five long years I took no second spouse,
What Redriff wife so long hath kept her vows?
--Swift, Mary Gulliver to Captain Lemuel Gulliver.

---London, Past and Present. H.B. Wheatley, 1891.

Bill  •  Link

Wheatley, in the annotation above, was wrong in his attribution. The poem, "Mary Gulliver to Captain Lemuel Gulliver" was written by Alexander Pope, a good friend of Swift.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

There is an old pub called The Angel, worthy of a visit for its views of the Thames, and some nearby features Pepys must have known. The space immediately to the south is now a large lawn where the remains of old stone walls are visible. They are the foundations of Edward III’s Manor House. He reigned from 1327 to 1377, a long time in the 14th century.

The Manor House was built on a low-lying island when much of the land was marsh. It consisted of a central courtyard surrounded by buildings and a moat on three sides. The fourth side was open to the Thames, until land on which Bermondsey Wall now runs was reclaimed, and the growth of industry eastwards from the City resulted in construction of embankments, cutting off the house from the river by the end of the 16th century -- so those plans for protecting the Thames banks considered by Evelyn were not so far fetched.

There is access to the foreshore via stairs to the right of the Angel, the Rotherhithe Stairs. A short distance to the east is another set, modern replacements for the King’s Stairs. The King’s Stairs and the Redriff Stairs both appear on John Roque’s Map Of London of 1746.

For modern pictures, see http://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/…

Third Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

The origins of the Mayflower pub need clarification. I found this version, along with some photos of Rotherhithe today:

"It was from Rotherhithe that the Mayflower first set off on its journey to America, and it was also in Rotherhithe that it was scrapped for timber at the end of its life. According to local legend, part of the Mayflower Pub was built from the ship’s remains, and only a stone’s throw away lies the remains of its captain, Christopher Jones, who is buried in St. Mary’s Church."

https://www.atlasobscura.com/plac…

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