The Boleyn Tavern is a Grade II listed

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

in East Ham, East London, at the junction of

Barking Road List of A roads in zone 1 in Great Britain beginning north of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longe ...

and Green Street. It was built in 1899–1900, with the entrance consoles bearing a 1900 date. The Tavern was frequented by West Ham United F.C. supporters due to its proximity to West Ham's ground, the

Boleyn Ground The Boleyn Ground, often referred to as Upton Park, was a football stadium located in Upton Park, east London. It was the home of West Ham United from 1904 to 2016, and was briefly used by Charlton Athletic in the early 1990s during their years ...

. Often at risk from vandalism from opposing supporters, it has its windows boarded-up. It is on the Campaign for Real Ale's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.

A visit from Gandhi

The local tradition is that

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

visited the Boleyn Tavern at least once in 1931. In that year Gandhi was in London for a three month period for talks on the future of India, he based himself at

Kingsley Hall Kingsley Hall is a community centre, in Powis Road, Bromley-by-Bow in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, East End of London. It dates back to the work of Doris and Muriel Lester, who had a nursery school in nearby Bruce Road. Their brother, ...

Bromley-by-Bow Bromley, commonly known as Bromley-by- Bow, is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London, located on the western banks of the River Lea, in the Lower Lea Valley in East London. The area is distinct from Bow, which l ...

and was enthusiastically received by East Enders. It is said that he attended several

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient ...

games during his stay and visited the Boleyn Tavern where he drank cream soda while discussing football and radical politics with local people. Gandhi was a keen football fan, establishing three teams in South Africa, and already had a strong connection to West Ham through his friendship with its founder,

Arnold Hills Arnold Frank Hills (12 March 1857 – 7 March 1927) was an English businessman, sportsman, philanthropist, and promoter of vegetarianism. Biography Hills was born in Denmark Hill, Surrey, son of a manufacturing chemist. Arnold Hills was also ...

, while living in London completing his law studies in 1888–91. During this period Hills brought the young Gandhi onto the executive committee of the

London Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom is a British registered charity which was established on 30 September 1847 to promote vegetarianism. History In the 19th century a number of groups in Britain actively promoted and followed mea ...

. During his 1931 stay in London, Gandhi would take long early morning walks, and often used the nearby Sewerbank (or Greenway) between Stratford and Plaistow. Gandhi also met Charlie Chaplin in nearby Canning Town.article on the meeting between the two men http://www.canningtownlife.com/2014/05/gandhi-and-charlie-chaplin-a-famous-meet-in-canning-town/

References

Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Newham Grade II listed pubs in London West Ham United F.C. National Inventory Pubs East Ham Pubs in the London Borough of Newham Commercial buildings completed in 1900 {{pub-stub