Found beside the Thames on Coldharbour in Docklands, the Gun is a beautiful pub about which your author had heard a great deal. He was lucky, therefore, to have an opportunity to pop in on a beautifully sunny Saturday bike ride, and thankfully it was not a disappointment.
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We are told that the current pub dates back to the early eighteenth century, and takes its name from a cannon fired to celebrate the opening of the West India Import Docks in 1802. It is a fitting name in an area which once housed iron foundries producing guns for the Royal Navy fleet. The owners also claim that Lord Nelson was a regular patron of The Gun, and would have secret meetings with Lady Emma Hamilton in the beautiful upstairs room, which is now fitted out as a function room called
The River Room.
The pub had a roaring log fire on Saturday, and a welcoming terrace with blankets to keep your author warm as he sat watching the boats with a nice cup of tea, as sadly the food was a bit beyond budget. For weekday lunchtime diners, however, there is a more reasonably-priced menu, and the pub might even throw in a free return taxi from Canary Wharf if you ring them first to book.
For more information, see
http://www.thegundocklands.com/