186 years old, but the old dog is still winning awards. That's to say Deptford's Dog and Bell pub is once again SE London's pub of the year, and it truly is 186 years old (at least). But what's in dusty old archives never won an award from CAMRA – that's down to a pub's atmosphere and the quality of beer (more on that later).
That said, this great boozer still deserves at least some of its history to be told. The pub's forerunner was, William Boyes. William ran a victualling business on the short length of Dock Street in 1749 which was also then known then as Dog Street. Situated on the other side of the street from Deptford Dockyard, he supplied ships biscuits (which were made in Deptford) and other victuals, plus small beer which presumably was for shipwrights etc who worked on site. In fact the dockyard's vicualling yard wall, though built later, is still partly in place and dominates the view from the front of the pub today. Back then in the 1700s though Deptford Dockyard had the highest output of navy ships in the country -which was no mean achievement. However by 1823 things had changed, and the vicualling premises was replaced by an alehouse named the Dog and Bell which sold beer to workers from the dockyard and round about. The Dog and Bell's publican at this time was David Archer, unfortunately he soon fell foul of the law, being reported in 1825 to a Justice of the Peace by a constable for "being kept open at twelve at night and at that hour liquor had been served to riotous parties who inhabited a disorderly house nearby".
At least three publicans later, the 1860's saw the building of a Royal Marine barracks on the massive dockyard site which signalled a move-up for the alehouse to become a tavern which allowed the sale of beers and wines, plus there was a name change and it became The Royal Marine. One can guess who its intended clientele were. But by 1872 the dockyard and its military presence were at an end, and rather ignobaly the launching slips were converted to sheep and cattle pens for much of the yard became the "Foreign Cattle Market", which also had a huge on site slaughter house. In the late 1800s this area of Deptford and its inhabitants were being criticised by both the temperance movement and other moral reformers, however the pub remained open. In 1913 the never very financially successful cattle market closed. The dockyard was changed again during the subsequent world wars to wharfage and was renamed convoy's wharf. Today the wharf is euphamistically described as - a riverside regeneration opportunity, but the pub just keeps on going.
The Dog and Bell's present licensees and owners, Charlie and Eileen Gallagher haven't been there that long compared to this history, since 1988 in fact. Before them the pub was part of the Truman's chain but was still called the Royal Marine, but they turned it into what it is today, an award winning real ale freehouse. In 1994 the Dog and Bell won its first CAMRA pub of the year award, and has since received numerous and diverse awards and commendations. Part of its secret would seem to be its consistent, modest and uncomplicated approach, with an emphasis on great ales and unpretention. The Dog and Bell truly is a special example of Deptford's unique character, which has emerged from a complex mixture of new elements with survivals from the past.
Julian Stone - (1952 part of the photo is used with the permission of Charles Gallagher)