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, ...
in
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
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