Canalside Pubs

There are a number of pubs situated alongside the Grand Union Canal, however within its southern reaches between Uxbridge – Rickmansworth, there are four pubs that straddle its course. Some of these public houses have long histories that long predate the building of the canal, operating as a coaching houses or other uses like mills for instance. With the establishment of the then Grand Junction Canal (built between 1793 – 1805), these establishments became public houses, becoming popular with passing boatmen and their families as they plied their cargo across the waterways. Keen to find out more about these historic inns, along with a few friends we undertook a 7 mile walk along the canal from Uxbridge to Rickmansworth. 

After setting off shortly before midday, within a quarter of an hour we already encountered our first pub, The Swan and Bottle. Dating from the 17th century, it used to be two pubs, known as The Olde Swan and The Leather Bottle respectively, around 1795 the two pubs were combined into one. Straddling both the River Colne and the Grand Union Canal, it is also conveniently located beside the Oxford Road, which used to be a major coaching route between the 17th – 19th centuries. A locally listed building, since the two pubs were amalgamated, there have been quite a few modifications to its two-storey structure. A long steeply pointed roof straddles the vicinity, whilst the early 20th century ground floor extensions to the front and rear of the entrance hide traces of its earlier appearance, indeed without a keen eye, its hard to deduce that this site formerly contained two pubs. As you enter inside, some of its original appearance has been maintained, such as the low hanging ceiling with the complex structure of wooden beams that staddle most of the ground-floor area, the square wall panels that enclose the bar counter which are typical of Georgian simplicity, some of the walls have sustained their original panelled wall design derived from a technique known as wainscotting, and the inglenook fireplace that dates from its earliest years. Other parts of the pub have been less fortunate, slapped with the paintbrush of modernity, patchwork flooring motifs and lashings of printed wallpaper that are clearly at odds with its origins. Despite the modestly side bar, the ground floor has a maze of several dining areas, where much of the pub is devoted to this service. To the left side of the building is the beer garden constructed by the banks of the River Colne, although of later construction, it is a charming inclusion that offers exclusive riverside views for the discerning customer, a half of Deuchars IPA (3.8%) proved to be refreshingly hoppy accompaniment as we soaked in the atmosphere of the surroundings. This pub is currently owned by Greene King, under their Chef & Brewer range, despite the availability of real ale and cask marque status, there’s little pub-like atmosphere to soak in, beneath this rampant devotion to the restaurant trade. 

 

Just before reaching Widewater Lock in South Harefield, we passed by the extensive beer garden that straddles the vicinity of The River Garden. A comparatively modern addition to the nearby canal, it was constructed as a roadhouse pub in 1937, it is typical of the era with its large two-storey structure and asymmetrical frontage that reeks of interwar modernity. From the outset this pub was designed for motorist in mind, situated along the busy A412 road which was extended between Denham and Uxbridge during this period. Space is very much on the forefront of this pub, with separate pub and dining areas, along with a private dining room installed a few years back following its extensive refurbishment.  The extensive rear garden boasts an impressive 600 seats along with playground facilities, there is also an outdoor patio with café style furniture and a steeply pointed twin wigwam structure used for functions. Formerly known as the Horse & Barge, then latterly The Bear on the Barge, in 2021 it was taken over by Heineken-owned Star Pubs & Bars and local pub operators Arusha Group. The interior is very much catered towards the contemporary and stylish, so rather predictably few original features remain underneath all this gloss. There are some remnants though, like the leaded glazed windows at the front of the building, panelled maple flooring, the double-sided fireplace or the oak panelled bar counter replete with pilasters, that can be glimpsed behind the tacky modern adornments such as leather seat panels and jade tiling. The emphasis here is heavily reliant on dining, which has been more of the case since its revamp; and in recent years, cask ale options have been removed, thus making the site even further removed from what could be considered a typical pub. This place is popular with families, local organisations and functions, on the day of our visit it was conveniently well filled out with punters as thump pounding contemporary pop music blared out on the speakers. 

Just under two miles we found ourselves in the conservation area of Coppermill Lock that resides near the Metropolitan Green Belt and Colne Valley Park; until the 20th century, several mills operated in the area due to its proximity with the River Colne.  In 1974, the London Borough of Hillingdon and Three Rivers District Council jointly established a small conservation area which lay within the boundaries of both authorities. These included the Fisheries Public House, Fisheries Cottages, Black Jack’s Mill and several ex-industrial buildings. We visited The Coy Carp, formerly known as the Fisheries; situated between the Frays River and the Grand Junction Canal, it was constructed in the early-mid 19th century and was initially operated as a hotel, where it benefitted from the local angling due to the area’s propensity of lakes, the River Colne and the manmade Frays River. A large two storey structure, it a six-bay house with centrally positioned doorway, with a hipped roof and two prominent chimneys positioned on both sides, typical of the era. A combination of sash windows, small and large casement windows and dormer windows complements towards its appearance, while a single storey building runs along the towpath. Despite appearances, much of the original interior has been mostly gutted and turned into a three-level split structure that somewhat resembles a Swiss chalet. Currently owned by Vintage Inns, today this place is very much catered towards the dining trade, and there is little trace that this building was once a hotel. The central bar counter resides by a stonework floor, by the looks of the structure it appears to be a later 20th century construction although much alteration has taken place to bring up to contemporary tastes. Meanwhile the area immediately to the right of the bar is bedecked with wooden supports and low hanging timber frame ceiling, which suggests that this was original height of the ground floor before the site was extensively renovated. Access to the pub is currently via a bridge that straddles the river, linking to the rear of the property, although there is a fire-access door on the canal side. Cask ale options are available here with two regular ales and one guest, though only London Pride (4.1%) was available at the time of our visit. To the left of the building is the outdoor patio which is divided into two areas, a large one situated by the rear of the outbuildings and a smaller patio immediately next to the entrance. A mixture of stonework and lawn gives the patio a refined appearance which is complemented by rattan furniture and string lights. Despite its relatively remote location, on the day of our visit, it was filled to the rafters with punters; which is quite understandable given its convenient position located between several wetland areas, rivers and long-distance walking trails including the Grand Union Canal Walk, Hillingdon Trail, Colne Valley Trail, the South Bucks Way and the London Loop.  

Soon we crossed the county border in Hertfordshire and for the next 2½ miles there was an endless of procession of sedentary narrowboats, lakes, fields and skeletal remnants of industry. We ended our walk as we reached Batchworth Lock, where the Rivers Colne and Chess meet up with the canal in a sprawling maze of wetlands. This is also the home of the Batchwork Canal Centre, headquarters of the Rickmansworth Waterways Trust which aims to both conserve and promote the heritage of the area’s waterways. Just over the road bridge is the White Bear, situated on the intersection between Harefield and London Road respectively. One of the area’s oldest pubs, it formerly served as a coaching inn as it was conveniently located near the turnpike on the nearby London Road, and at one time it was among several pubs in the local area run by local brewers, Salters. In 1913, under the ownership of Edith and Thomas Mayo, the pub was demolished and entirely rebuilt, the small riverside inn was turned into a sprawling u-shaped two storey structure, with exposed brickwork on the ground floor replete with leaded lights; while the upper floors are timber framed with a central bay window that helps give the frontage an asymmetrical appearance, which is complemented by a u-shaped pitched roof structure used to increase the surface area along with a triptych of elaborate four-chimney pot structures that help give the place more height. The exterior is rather typical of the Arts and Crafts Movement, an architectural style that was popular during the late 19th and early 20th century. Despite the relatively large size of the pub, conversely the interior is rather small and narrow; following much of its over u-shaped layout. While the bar-counter and bar-back have been modernised with slats of hardwood, while the bay windows, door frames, wall mouldings and teak/maple panelled floor are original Edwardian fixtures. Formerly a free house, it has since been taken over by Greene King and has been turned into a Desi-Pub offering traditional Indian fare which has built a local reputation, moreover under their current owners, two additional dining areas have been constructed by the rear and front of the building, in order to increase the overall seating size. To the left of the building is a large canal-side patio with a number of tables, allowing punters to dine al-fresco and absorb sites of the nearby river and canal. Although cask is available at this pub, since the take-over by Greene King, the selection has been restricted to their own in-house offerings, although I was readily keen to sup up some Abbot Ale (5%) which proved to be a richly warming, malty and fruity concoction, bringing an appropriate valedictory note to our extensive walk along the canal.