Someone must have decided “Princess of Prussia” just had more of a ring to it. This royal wasn’t actually the princess, but rather the Queen of Prussia, as the wife of German Emperor Frederick III. This cozy pub tucked away in the centre of Prescot Street, is named after Victoria, Princess Royal – the eldest of Queen Victoria’s five daughters. The name signifies the pub’s maritime roots, serving many of Limehouse’s weary sailors in the past. Its sign reads ‘always a warm welcome’, referring to its longstanding reputation for accepting patrons which others may have turned away in the past. This rustic pub is often referred to as London’s oldest gay pub. They then had a beautiful daughter named Besse so he decided to pose as a beggar on the streets of Whitechapel to conceal his wealth from would-be suitors. The story goes that, after being wounded and losing his sight in the Battle of Evesham in 1265, Monfort was nursed to health by a baroness. The painting depicts the local legend of ‘The Blind Beggar of Bednal Green’, Henry de Montfort. One of Whitechapel’s most famous pubs, The Blind Beggar has deep roots in the area. The Blind Beggar © ReadingTom (Wikimedia Commons) The pub – and it’s colourful mascot – is located at 145 Dunelm Street, just around the corner from Stepney Green park. The colourful peacock was hand painted ten years ago to replace the former sign which had rotted away. Local landlady Patricia Pyne says she inherited the pub from her parents, and it has been owned by her family for 45 years. This colourful bird can be found on the corner wall of The Peacock, a family-owned pub in Stepney Green. How many have you spotted on your Whitechapel travels? The Peacock We’ve picked out some of the area’s most interesting pub signs, from the visually intriguing to the historically significant.
Walking through Whitechapel, you’ll find every pub has a story to tell. We take you through some of Whitechapel’s most intriguing, historical and unusual pub signs.