Greenwich village in London [as opposed to NYC] languished as, if not so much a backwater, then a less than fashionable part of London. It wasn’t brilliantly connected and although steeped in history, many of the houses, shops and restaurants were a little run down. Centrepiece is the park with the stunning Queens House [design by Inigo Jones] and the Royal Naval College. Around the centre are still admiralty flats, some refurbished, but with the aura of a time when sailors and officers spent their time here.

On the waterfront is the restored tea clipper Cutty Sark, now forming part of the Royal Museums Greenwich. Previously in dry dock, it now floats on a glass sea, where you can see the copper underside in comfort – probably an improvement…

So the area is very, very much on the up following the improved access via the extended Dockland Light Railway [DLR], some things [almost] remain the same. On our many visits to Greenwich over the years, propping up the bar at the Richard 1st was compulsory, obligatory, mandatory, essential even. Actually, we always called it the Tolly and never knew why*. Recently the subject of a bit of a makeover, the bar..and more importantly the beer..remain just the same. Always a Young’s pub, it was here we discovered that soft, southern, hoppy beer was actually much nicer to drink than the harsh, dark Johns Smith’s available in Y***shire.

This weekend, as well as a selection of Rugby-themed beer [Twickenham Grandstand and Championship], we tried the weakest Wooden Spoon at 3.6% ABV which sees 20p for every pint donated to charity. Good food, a garden and plenty of atmosphere.

Pub with food Richard 1st Greenwich

The beer…

The bar…

The garden…

Cutty Sark exterior. Port broadside & port 3/4 view during the day.

The underside…