Cutty Sark

Cutty Sark in Greenwich, London, is a historic riverside pub on Ballast Quay, not to be confused with the famous tea clipper of the same name. The pub stands on the south bank of the Thames, downstream from central Greenwich, with views across the river towards the Isle of Dogs and the Greenwich Peninsula. The current building dates from the early 19th century and was originally known as the Union Tavern before being renamed after the Cutty Sark ship came to Greenwich in the 1950s. Its Georgian bow windows, riverside position and slightly tucked-away location give it a strong local character, different from the busier tourist pubs closer to the centre of Greenwich.

Cutty Sark is best known on screen from “Beautiful Thing” (1996), where it is disguised as The Anchor. It is also connected to the Greenwich riverfront material in “The List of Adrian Messenger” (1963), where the area opposite the Cutty Sark Tavern on Ballast Quay as part of the film’s location geography. In both cases, the pub’s value as a screen location comes from its Thames-side setting and the older industrial/riverside character of Ballast Quay.

In “The List of Adrian Messenger” (1963), Ballast Quay and the area around Cutty Sark Tavern appear during the film’s Greenwich riverside material. The pub itself is part of the surrounding location geography, with the Cutty Sark Tavern sign and the area opposite the pub on Ballast Quay. The scene uses the working-river atmosphere of Greenwich before much of the surrounding industrial landscape was redeveloped, giving the film a Thames-side setting that looks very different from the more polished Greenwich waterfront visitors see today.

In “Beautiful Thing” (1996), Cutty Sark is dressed as The Anchor, the pub that Henry is offered the chance to manage. The signage in the film disguises the real Cutty Sark pub on Ballast Quay, and after viewing it, Berry and Henry walk north along the quay. This means the pub should not be confused with Anchor Bankside, even though the name seen on screen points in that direction. The real filming location is Cutty Sark in Greenwich, and the scene uses its riverside position and quiet Ballast Quay setting rather than the busier Bankside area.

---