Town of Ramsgate & Olivers Wharf

The pub on this site likely dates back to the 1460s, during the Wars of the Roses, when it was known as *The Hostel*. By 1533, in quieter times, it became *The Red Cow*, a nod to the barmaid working there.

One of the pub’s more notorious moments came in 1688, when Judge Jeffreys, infamous for his role in the Bloody Assizes, was caught outside while trying to flee England disguised as a sailor. After sending many rebels to their deaths, he was recognized by an attorney he had once mocked and captured.

In 1766, the pub took on the name *Ramsgate Old Town*, and by 1811, it became *The Town of Ramsgate*, named after the fishermen who docked at Wapping Old Stairs to avoid the heavy river taxes further upstream at Billingsgate. The pub’s sign features Ramsgate Harbour, which is etched on the mirror near the entrance.

Wapping Old Stairs, next to the pub, also has a dark past. Condemned pirates were chained there to drown as the tide rose. However, it wasn’t always grim—many sailors returning from long voyages were joyfully reunited with their sweethearts on these steps, as a verse on the pub wall fondly recalls.

Oliver’s Wharf, a Grade II listed building on Wapping High Street, was originally a warehouse built in 1870 by architects Frederick and Horace Francis. It was designed to store tea and other cargo, with a capacity of 60,000 packages.

In 1972, it became one of the first Docklands warehouses to be converted into luxury apartments, thanks to Tony Goddard of the Goddard Manton Partnership. This transformation marked the beginning of Wapping’s shift from industrial use to residential living, setting the stage for the area’s future development.