Dating back to 1620, this Rotherhithe pub has a rich state-side history.
We don’t often want people to find out about our favourite, secret spots in London, saving them from the masses to enjoy as we found them – but Rotherhithe’s The Mayflower is a pub with a history that can’t be hidden.
Owner of 13 years, Paul Graham, tells us: “The pub was nothing like it is now, it’s really grown, as has Rotherhithe. There’s been a massive increase in people in the area.
Adding that: “Since lockdown, the Thames Path really came into its own, and lots of people saw The Mayflower walking from London Bridge to Greenwich.”
Paul explains that the history started over 400 years ago in 1620; in July, The Mayflower ship took on board 65 passengers from its London homeport of Rotherhithe on the River Thames.
“Captain Christopher Jones used to part-own the pub,” adds Paul.
So, with Captain Jones at the helm, The Mayflower journeyed onwards to Southampton for supplies and to meet with the Speedwell ship. However, after many delays, false starts and a leak, the Speedwell’s journey with The Mayflower was abandoned.
On 6 September 1620, Captain Jones, along with 102 passengers and approximately 30 crew members, set sail from Plymouth on what William Bradford described as “a prosperous wind”.
After sighting land on 11 November 1620, strong winter seas forced the Rotherhithe captain to anchor at Cape Cod, much further North than the original destination of Virginia.
To establish legal order in their new homeland, the settlers agreed while on board to write and sign “The Mayflower Compact”; the first written framework of government in what is now the United States.
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Captain Jones later returned to London on The Mayflower, arriving at the home port of Rotherhithe on 6 May 1621. He died less than a year later and was buried at St. Mary’s church in Rotherhithe, close to the mooring point of The Mayflower where she lay to rest in the Thames, no longer useful as a ship.
A commemorative plaque to the voyage of The Mayflower now adorns the side of St Mary’s church and a memorial statue, dedicated to the memory of Captain Christopher Jones, sits in the churchyard.
The Mayflower has a Descendants Book, which is available upon request to those who can prove a family connection to the original Pilgrim Fathers from The Mayflower 1620 voyage.
Paul says: “We’ve got well over a thousand signed addresses by people from the states; people get very excited.”
As a nod to the founding fathers, again, he says that they host a Thanksgiving dinner each year, which is always a sellout.
The pub’s day-to-day food menu offers classic British dishes using local and fresh ingredients and is complemented by a range of traditional ales, which change every week, craft beers, local gins and fine wines.
Plus, the Sunday roast “is one of the best in London”, says Paul, adding that it gets booked up weeks in advance.
So, for a sip of history – and the chance to taste The Mayflower’s Yorkshire puds – head down the Thames Path and travel back in time.
117 Rotherhithe Street, Rotherhithe, SE16 4NF
Images courtesy of The Mayflower
