A tenacious ancestry of The Peacock Pub, one of the last Stepney boozers
Weathering incendiary bombs, a flood of bobbies and a cut-throat recession The Peacock Pub has outlived even its street name.
Tucked awkwardly behind Stepney Green, in a backstreet surrounded by housing in the hinterlands between Mile End and Commerical Road, the emerald green Peacock pub is often referred to these days as a ‘hidden gem,’ likely because it’s hard to find if you aren’t looking for it.
With a distinctively green and cream tiled face, the pub has been (and from the looks of it will always be) a pub since 1881, when it was constructed by the brewery Watney Combe & Reid to sell their beer, with rooms above to house staff.
At the time, Watney Combe & Reid was on its way to becoming London’s largest brewery. With an annual output of roughly 39.5 million imperial gallons, the brewery built pubs across London to pump out their golden rivers of beer, of which The Peacock was one of many. In the crowded and impoverished slums of Stepney, there was plenty to drink about.
The tenacious Peacock was built on 145 Aylward Street, on the corner of Charles Street, now called Dunelm Street. Charles Street would’ve had five competing pubs on it before its post-war name change, which have since been picked off in a combination of bombing and economic flux – only The Peacock remains.
Just across from the street from The Peacock was the old Arbour Square Thames Magistrate Court and Police Station, built in the 1840s by the then newly created Metropolitan Police to hold and try the various lawbreakers of the East End.
Because the pub was always full of off-duty police officers, it was known as ‘the copper’s pub,’ and people on the wrong side of the law would stay away. The pub was also a popular place to celebrate a good verdict, so at some point down the line, it also became known as the ‘not-guilty.’
During the Blitz, The Peacock was hit by incendiary bombs, destroying the roof and the top floor in the blaze and pockmarking the surrounding streets. A new butterfly roof was constructed, with just one floor instead of two above the pub, and the living quarters were haphazardly rebuilt.
When the pub was refurbished last year it still bore odd features, like a stairway that went nowhere and a room that should’ve been a hallway. Three fireplaces were found embedded in the walls, fossilised remains of the vanished upper floor.
Also found in the refurb were original bar tiles from World War Two, listing drinks like ‘oatmeal stout,’ which was popular between the World Wars for its perceived health benefits and due to a shortage of wheat.
After the Second World War, an already impoverished Stepney struggled and gangs proliferated. The Arbour Square police station held plenty of infamous characters in its custody block during this time, including the Kray twins and alleged IRA members.
Photos framed in the pub today show the Krays, their suits dapper and hair slicked back, leaving court appearances with The Peacock visible in the background. Due to the clientele, it’s very unlikely they ever set foot inside.
In 1976, when Patsy Pyne was just nine years old, she and her family moved into the living quarters above the pub, which they would run for Watney’s for almost fifty years until 2023.
With the smoking ban a thing of the future, and plenty of business rolling in from the nearby housing estates and the police station, the pub will have been loud, smoky and exciting for a nine-year-old. Patsy’s mother was affectionately known as ‘Scary Mary,’ for her ability to keep customers under control.
By 1999, with a dip in crime rates from the 60s and the heydays of the East End gangsters ending, the once bustling Arbour Square police station was deemed surplus to requirements and left derelict (with many squatters) until being redeveloped into residential apartments. Around this time the lease passed hands from Watney’s to a different realtor, which continued to charge the family weekly rent.
In the 2000s, the landlords of The Peacock suddenly began asking for rent upfront, instead of weekly, a tactic mirrored across the neighbourhood which meant several other pubs were repossessed. In 2007, Patsy’s father passed away.
The landlords tried to sell the building in 2008 to be redeveloped, but a community drive to save the pub led to the sale being blocked by the council. In the post-recession crash, the Pynes were able to put in a low offer in 2009 to buy the entire building.
Patsy and her partner John Mcready took over the pub and ran it until 2023. With the growing high streets absorbing foot traffic and the police station no longer drawing punters, clientele shrunk (although those that had been put off by the police now felt comfortable having a drink there).
The Peacock slowly became an ‘if you know you know’ spot, drawing a crowd of regulars and absorbing the orphaned regulars from other pubs which shut down following the smoking ban and the recession. The pub had a pool table, a welcoming atmosphere, and an old-school charm.
After a lifetime at The Peacock, Covid-19 was the turning point for Patsy, who was finally ready to sell up and retire. ‘I’d toyed with it a few times before and then chickened out,’ she said, ‘but Covid made me think, it’s quite nice not to have anything to do.’
After a raucous final night, where Patsy, John and their regulars drank the place dry, The Peacock was sold to developers including architect and current landlord Conal Campbell.
An earthly counterpoint to the phoenix, the peacock is a symbol of rebirth and renewal. The story behind the original name is still a mystery, but The Peacock has certainly lived up to it – it re-opened in October 2023.
As part of a deal from the council, the developers, whose eyes were mainly on the potential of the building for flats, were told they needed to keep the pub open.
The Peacock was carefully restored, with shimmering peacock wallpaper, handsome new furnishings and glasses and custom paintings of scenes around Stepney to adorn the wall by artist Ed J Bucknall. Five new flats and a new roof were built on top, and a new separate staircase was constructed.
‘When it was finished, I got the agents round, and said can you market this from the point of view of getting a license here, or somebody to take a lease on this? And they said, nobody will take a lease on this, not in this location or this market,’ said Campbell, ‘So I stupidly said to the owners, I’ll run it, it’ll be fun.’
Despite his bemusement, it’s clear when looking around the refurbished pub that Campbell loves the place. Special care has been taken to preserve original features, with carpets taken up to reveal original oak flooring and the tiled outlines of the old Victorian bar, which had been replaced in 1885.
Patsy’s mum (happily retired in Kent) is also commemorated, with her sewing machine, mirror and chandelier from the flat above all incorporated into the refurbished pub.
Where the old pool table used to be is now a snug, in the tradition of an Irish bar – a sectioned-off room with a window to order from the bar. It is free to use for events and is currently a regular host to typical East End wedding parties, funerals, and baptisms. There is also a darts board, and a ‘Joanna’ (Cockney rhyming slang for a piano).
The new pub also has a new kitchen installed, which at the moment serves up fresh sausage rolls from Wapping butcher Husseys for a reasonable £3, with toasties and more to come. There are also great drink deals, including a two for £16 cocktail menu and two for £5 shots (the most popular currently being a baby Guinness).
Despite the welcoming new interiors, business has been slow at The Peacock since the refurb, with many people unaware that the pub has even reopened. Its Monday pub quiz nights, weekend live music nights and Thursday karaoke draw new traffic, but a cast of regulars to pad out the ones that have stayed loyal has yet to fully establish itself.
Patsy and John live just around the corner and come in regularly for a drink, although they are happy not to be at work anymore. True to tradition, the current bartender lives in one of the new flats above the building.
For events, opening hours and further info, visit The Peacock in the local hub
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