The oldest riverside tavern in the country was built in 1520. Its published opening hours do not include Monday.
Checked on 6 October 2026, the structured data on the pub’s own page lists hours for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Monday is absent entirely, not listed as closed, simply not there.
The visible part of the page only ever shows today’s hours, so there is no weekly table to check it against.
If you are planning a Monday, ring 020 7481 1095 first. A missing day in a listing usually means a closure, and this is a pub people travel across London to reach.
The hours it does publish
Tuesday to Saturday: 11:00 to 23:00.
Sunday: 12:00 to 22:00.
Food: 12:00 to 21:00, which on a weekday stops two hours before the pub does.
That two hour gap is wider than most Greene King pubs allow, and it means a late arrival is a drinking visit.
Built in 1520
The claim is the pub’s own and it is a large one.
“Built in 1520, our historic pub the Prospect of Whitby is the oldest riverside tavern in the country.”
Not the oldest pub, and not the oldest in London: the oldest riverside tavern in Britain. It stands on Wapping Wall, on the edge of the Thames, surrounded by the old dockland.
For comparison, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street dates its rebuild to 1667, and the oldest pubs page covers the rival claims, which are numerous and contested.
A waterside pub with a beer garden
The listed facilities, which are better than a 500-year-old building suggests:
Disabled facilities. Dog friendly. Family friendly. Beer garden. WiFi. Historic pub. Functions. Waterside pub.
The beer garden is the draw and the pub is honest about it: “Enjoy a drink outside in our beer garden (weather permitting!)”. It faces the river, which is the whole reason to come and also the reason it is unusable in a January wind.
So this is a summer and early-autumn pub above all, and the inside is small.
Free food through the app
Worth two minutes before you arrive.
Greene King runs a newcomer offer: download the Greene King app, register, spin the wheel, and you may win a main, a pudding or a pint.
The pub’s own framing is that there is no catch, and that even without a win the app lets you order from the table rather than queue. In a pub this size on a warm day, the queue-skipping is worth more than the free pint.
Where it is, and why it is awkward
57 Wapping Wall, Wapping, London E1W 3SH. Telephone 020 7481 1095.
Wapping is the catch. It is a short walk from Wapping station on the London Overground, and that is essentially the only convenient route: there is no Underground station nearby and the bus links are thin.
The payoff is that the dockland setting is intact in a way almost nowhere else on the north bank is, and the pub sits directly on the water.
How to plan it
Monday: ring first. The published hours skip it.
Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 to 23:00, Sunday midday to 22:00.
Eating: food stops at 9pm, two hours before closing.
Go for the beer garden, and go when the weather allows, because the inside is small.
Getting there: Wapping Overground. There is no useful Tube.
Download the Greene King app for table ordering and the newcomer freebie.
Bringing a dog: welcome.
The Prospect of Whitby
- Address
- 57 Wapping Wall, Wapping, London E1W 3SH
- Nearest
- Wapping on the London Overground, a short walk. No Underground station nearby
- Hours
- Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 to 23:00 and Sunday 12:00 to 22:00. Food 12:00 to 21:00. Monday is not listed in the pub’s published hours at all, so ring before planning one
- Booking
- Tables bookable online or on 020 7481 1095
- Price
- Pub prices. A Greene King app offer gives newcomers a chance of a free main, pudding or pint
- Standing
- Built in 1520 and described by the pub as the oldest riverside tavern in the country, on Wapping Wall at the edge of the Thames, with a beer garden facing the river
How to get in
Checked 6 October 2026, the structured data on the pub’s own page lists opening hours for Tuesday through Sunday with Monday absent entirely, and the visible page shows only today’s hours, so there is no weekly table to check against. Food stops at 9pm, two hours before the pub closes. The beer garden faces the river and is the reason to come, but the interior is small, so it is a fair-weather pub. Wapping Overground is effectively the only convenient route.
Where to go next
The oldest pubs in London covers the competing claims, and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is the Fleet Street rival.
London’s pubs covers the rest, and Tower Bridge is the nearest landmark upriver.
Questions we get asked
Is the Prospect of Whitby open on Mondays?
Unclear from its own listings. Checked on 6 October 2026, the structured data on the pub's page gives hours for Tuesday to Sunday and omits Monday entirely, and the visible page only ever displays today's hours. Ring 020 7481 1095 before planning a Monday visit.
How old is the Prospect of Whitby?
The pub states it was built in 1520 and describes itself as the oldest riverside tavern in the country. That is a narrower claim than oldest pub: it is specifically about riverside taverns, and London's oldest-pub claims are numerous and contested.
What time does the Prospect of Whitby stop serving food?
9pm, which on a weekday is two hours before the pub closes at 11pm. Opening hours are 11:00 to 23:00 Tuesday to Saturday and 12:00 to 22:00 on Sunday, so a late arrival is a drinking visit rather than a meal.
Does the Prospect of Whitby have a beer garden?
Yes, facing the Thames, and it is the main reason to visit. The pub notes it is weather permitting. The interior is small, so on a wet day the pub is a very different and much tighter experience.
How do you get to the Prospect of Whitby?
Wapping station on the London Overground is a short walk and is effectively the only convenient route. There is no Underground station nearby and bus links are thin. The payoff is a dockland setting that is largely intact.
Is the Prospect of Whitby dog friendly?
Yes. The listed facilities include dog friendly, family friendly, disabled facilities, a beer garden, WiFi and function space.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 360 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
