Walking with friends: Aldgate to Limehouse... and beyond

A message from 'Beak and Squeak'.

Monday January 5, 2026: 

Sunny with Northwest wind at 9 mph. 

2°C (35.6°F), but the windchill made it feel like -4°C

First walk of 2026.

I had arrived at Aldgate station early, so I had a wander around the edge of the City of London, while I awaited the arrival of Dyan, who would be accompanying me on today's walk. This would be Dyan's first walk with me, so I had picked a route that went along with some of her interests.

One of London's 'Slum' pubs, soon to be demolished.

On leaving Aldgate station we headed along the very narrow Little Somerset Street, as I wanted to get some photos of the 'Still & Star' pub, before it gets pulled down. The pub closed in 2017 and is one of only a few 'Slum' pubs left in London. This pub was converted from a private house into licensed premises, in the 1820s. Rumours abound that the new developers are going to build a replica of the pub in front of their new office block. Which begs the question, "Why not keep the original building?"

We followed Little Somerset Street and joined Mansell Street, Goodman's Fields and the Prescot Street. Prescot Street was the first street, in London, where the buildings were numbered, rather than having signs hung outside. This practice spread, aiding the flourishing postal service.

A true Victorian pub.

We passed the 'English Martyrs Church', built between 1873-1876 and then the 'Princess of Prussia', named for Victoria Louise, Queen Victoria’s granddaughter and the daughter of German emperor Wilhelm II. I must pop in here, one day.

We then joined Leman Street, heading south, before heading east along Cable Street. Dropping onto Grace's Alley we passed 'Wilton's Music Hall', London's last music hall, before rejoining Cable Street. We followed Cable Street to its junction with Cannon Street Road, site of the burial of John Williams, the alleged Ratcliff Highway Murderer, before turning south. We then entered the gardens of St George-in-the-East, where we looked at the forlorn and crumbling mortuary building, in which Elizabeth Stride's body was taken and the autopsy completed.

The ships at Tobacco Dock.

On leaving the gardens we crossed The Highway and headed south along Wapping Lane, passing Tobacco Dock, with its two ships 'moored' beside the Ornamental Canal.

St Peter's Church London Docks.

We then visited St Peter's Church London Docks, which was an incredible building to see. It is set back from Wapping Lane behind an elaborate, tiled archway full of residential properties. And what a discovery. The high roof with its exposed timbers, along with its incredible size, were completely unexpected. On its south side is the 'Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham', which is a true gem. There was also a painting, by a local artist, of the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus sitting besides London's Docks, which caught me by surprise. 

A wonderful riverside pub.

After exploring this amazing place we headed back outside and crossed Wapping Green. Unfortunately, 'Turner's Old Star' wasn't open, so we headed south, along Meeting House Alley, until we reached Wapping High Street and the 'Captain Kidd' pub. With drinks ordered I showed Dyan around the pub, before we moved outside to take in the views from its riverside garden.

Suitably refreshed we left the pub and headed back up Meeting House Alley, hoping that 'Turner's Old Star' would be open. And, it was! This was one of the places that I had wanted to take Dyan, as she is a fan of the film 'Legend', starring Tom Hardy, a scene of which was filmed here.

The 'Blue Undress Uniform' of a Yeoman Warder.

We ordered drinks and had a really interesting and fact-filled chat with the landlord, Paul. He told us the history of the pub and its link to one of my favourite painters, J.M.W. Turner. Then he showed us a 'Yeoman Warder' uniform, displayed behind a piece of glass in the corner, before explaining how it came to be in the pub. Honestly, we could have stayed longer, just listening to his stories, but we had a long way to go and more places to visit.

So, we thanked Paul, leaving him to take down the remainder of the Christmas decorations, while we continued our walk eastward. Watts Street brought us back to Wapping Lane and back onto Wapping High Street. We continued east, moving onto Garnet Street, before turning onto Wapping Wall and the next stop on our walk. 'The Prospect of Whitby'. With the tide in we couldn't go down onto the foreshore, via the Pelican Stairs, so entered the pub. 

A selfie in the 'secret garden' of The Prospect of Whitby.

This was by far the busiest pub that we would visit, during our walk, probably due its history, atmosphere, views of the River Thames and the great service. The flagstones that cover the floor are over 400 years old and it has a pewter-topped bar, making it a truly unique place. Taking our drinks we sat outside, which, considering the temperature, was quite pleasant in the sun. To my surprise, the willow tree that had graced this garden, for over 200 years, was gone. Apparently, it was cut down by Tower Hamlets Council for 'Health & Safety' reasons.

Gandalf's Staff from 'The Lord of the Rings'.

On leaving the pub we made our way along Glamis Road and cut through the King Edward VII Memorial Park and joined The Highway, which we followed until we reached Narrow Street. Dyan likes 'The Lord of the Rings' films, so it was only fair that I took her to 'The Grapes', where Gandalf's staff, along with other 'Lord of the Rings' related items, is on display. 'The Grapes' is another riverside pub with a lot of history. The staff, especially Joanne, were a delight to chat with and made us feel really welcome.

York Square Gardens was the inspiration for 'Albert Square' in 'East Enders'.

We left the pub and headed through 'Ropemakers Field', across 'Limehouse Cut', making our way towards Commercial Road. Heading west we continued on until we reached Flamborough Street. Approaching York Square Gardens I explained to Dyan that this square, along with 'The Queen's Head' pub, had been the inspiration for the design of 'Albert Square' and 'The Queen Victoria' in the BBC soap 'EastEnders'. 

As 'The Queen's Head' wasn't open we headed to 'The Old Ship', which is situated on the southwest corner of the square. This was a wonderful pub, with a real community feel to it. After a quick drink we explored more of the square, before entering 'The Queen's Head', which had just opened. Unlike 'The Old Ship', this is a much larger building and had TV screens and appeared to cater for the more sport-orientated customers, as well as locals. After another drink, and having soaked up the atmosphere, we left York Square Gardens and headed west.

The world famous 'Blind Beggar' pub.

We continued along Commercial Road, before heading north, along Sydney Street, to Whitechapel Road and 'The Blind Beggar' pub. We sat outside with our drinks beneath some heat lamps and talked about the walk, which Dyan had really enjoyed. We discussed doing another walk, but when the weather was more hospitable.

Once we had finished our drinks we left the pub and, after grabbing some food, continued west to Aldgate station. Here we caught the first train out of the station, an Uxbridge-bound train, and alighted at Baker Street. It was here that we said our "goodbyes" and I boarded a Watford-bound train, while Dyan caught a separate train.

It was a wonderful day out seeing some familiar and some new places, while talking with some great locals who were friendly and knowledgeable.

I am looking forward to my next walk, especially if it is around the East End, already.

Distance travelled:

• Bus - 0.0 miles
• Cable Car - 0.0 miles
• Car - 0.0 miles
• DLR - 0.0 miles
• Ferry - 0.0 miles
• Overground - 0.0 miles
• River Boat - 0.0 miles
• Taxi - 0.0 miles
• Train - 0.0 miles
• Underground - 42 miles
• Walking - 7.6 miles