The Anchor and Hope is a vibrant reminder of London’s proud riverside heritage. Its setting is splendid, its community spirit remains sustained and its commitment to real ale is strong.

The Venue
The pub sits on the west bank of the River Lee, a 10-15-minute walk from Clapton overground station. There are splendid views across the river to the open expanse of Walthamstow Marshes. It’s a welcome stop-off point for multitudes of walkers, cyclists and river users – narrow boaters, rowers, canoeists and so on.

The setting has been hugely improved in recent months as East London prepares itself to host the 2012 Olympics. The river has been drained, cleaned, widened and strengthened and the towpath re-laid and extended. So attractive is the river now that there’ll be a regular Olympic ferry service past the Anchor and Hope from Tottenham Hale to Stratford. Visitors will undoubtedly be impressed by seeing a still-thriving riverside pub.

The Anchor and Hope is a surviving ‘pub in a front room’. There’s one bar only and a smallish servery. Outside, however, there are many picnic benches. These are constantly used to create an open-air extension to the pub.

The Atmosphere
The Anchor and Hope was, for a long time, a working people’s pub. But Clapton has changed and many young professional people have moved into the area. Older residents and newcomers mix easily together with a gladdening community spirit. This spirit extends to the towpath and river users. Many of them are so regular in attendance that they are accepted as regulars.

Quaffing and conversing are the Anchor and Hope staples. There’s no TV, no juke box, no fruit machine, no pool table. Darts, however, that most traditional of pub pastimes, is played.

Presiding over the pub is licensee Matthew Withe. Brought up in a house only a few doors away from the Anchor and Hope, he’s mindful of, and a guarantor of, its time-honoured quality.

The Drink
The long-standing focus is on real ale. The Anchor and Hope has never served ersatz and fizzy keg beer. A Fuller’s of Chiswick pub, it has three hand pumps, of which two are usually serve from this brewery’s range – Discovery, London Pride, ESB, Hock, Bengal Lancer, Porter and Gale’s Seafarers. A guest beer is usually on offer too. Ossett Blonde and Elgood Bitter often feature.

The Anchor and Hope has been awarded Cask Marque accreditation and is regularly listed in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide. It has also been voted by CAMRA members as a finalist in the East London and City CAMRA Pub of the Year Award.

The Last Word
London grew and flourished as a riverside society - on both Lee and Thames. Revel in this heritage at the Anchor and Hope. A stroll along the towpath will give you much to see and a perfect pub to have a pint.

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