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Old Ship
17 Barnes Street
Limehouse
London
E14 7NW

How to get here

Walking

We are just 30 seconds walk from Limehouse Station buses, DLR and C2C trains.

If you are looking to burn a few calories before/after that drink with us you can walk to/from the Old Ship within 20 minutes from Wapping, Westferry, Whitechappel, Stepney Green and Mile End.

Want to add in a scenic route? Consider a walk along the Thames Pathway riverside walk from Canary Wharf or Wapping complete with its City views; wander through historic Narrow Street; along one of Limehouse’s two canals or around Limehouse Basin.

By Bus

Bus stops to/from Limehouse are 100m away. The stops service bus routes 15, 115, 135, D3 N15, N550 and N551.

Get off the bus at Limehouse Station (stop LB if heading East, and stop LK if heading West) adjacent to Barnes Street.

That means easy access on the bus from Wapping, Aldgate, Westferry, Canning Town, Poplar, Canary Wharf as well as further afield.

By DLR

The DLR has been serving customers of the Old Ship since 1987. That’s older than some of our regulars! The DLR connects Shadwell (3 mins away), Tower Hill and Bank (both 7 mins away) to the West with Westferry, Canary Wharf (6 mins away), Greenwich (18 mins), Lewisham, Canning Town, Stratford, City Airport and Woolwich to the East. Plus a whole host of stations in between – meaning you can get from the furthest ends of the DLR to Limehouse within 25 mins. It may take you a little longer however if you are waiting to sit in that illustrious front row “drivers seat” on the DLR.

With major London Underground interchanges with the DLR at Bank (Circle, District, Central and Waterloo & City), Tower Hill (Circle and District), Canary Wharf (Jubilee line) and Stratford (Jubilee line) there are even less excuses for making a trip across to the Old Ship. You can even head out into the West End such as Soho before/afterwards in under 30 mins.

Staying out late and looking for the night DLR? Well like us you’ll need to wait until 2021 for that… but the DLR is running later than us most days, and with buses/nightbuses and taxis we are sure to find a way to get you home safely after a fun night at the Old Ship.

By Train

Many visitors forget that Limehouse is fortunate to serve two types of railway line. The DLR on the former London & Blackwall Railway (LBR) lines and the C2C trains which connect Fenchurch Street with Limehouse and onwards to West Ham, Barking, Upminster and out to places like Rainham, Grays, Southend and Shoeburyness.

Limehouse is part of a C2C commuter service so almost every train stops at Fenchurch Street, Limehouse, West Ham and Barking – making us 5 minutes from the City of London (Fenchurch Street), 6 minutes from West Ham and 11 minutes from Barking by train – if you time your train right.

Trains run until gone midnight on a Monday – Saturday and after 23.30 on a Sunday.  Check the National Rail website for last train times to your destination.

By Car

Whilst we encourage customers to walk or use public transport to get to the Old Ship, there is limited on street parking outside and near the Old Ship (subject to availability on the day) at certain times of day. On street parking is restricted to permit holders only 8.30am – 5.30pm Monday – Friday. Outside these times parking is free but may be occupied by local residents. More parking details can be found on Tower Hamlets website – the Old Ship is in Controlled Parking Zone C3

Taxi’s provide another low cost option, and the team behind the bar at the Old Ship will always be happy to call you one.

Positioned 300m from the Rotherhithe tunnel means you can be in Surrey Quays / Rotherhithe in minutes in a car. You can get most places on the Rotherhithe peninsular for as little as £7-9 in an Uber

For first time Uber riders sign up for an Uber account via this link and get £5 off your first ride.

Not a fan of Uber? Fear not, we’ve partnered with Gett app for booking and requesting Black Cabs too. Exclusively for new Gett customers if you download their app via this link and pay for your first trip via credit card then you will get up to £15 credit issued to your Gett account that is valid for future rides within two weeks from date of issue.

By Bike

If you plan on cycling down to the Old Ship there are railings opposite the pub (around York Square) which you can attach your bike to. Be sure to pack a bike lock.

We are 30 seconds from the nearest London Santander Cycle hire station on Flamborough Street (under the train arch) which has 25 spaces for Santander cycle bikes. If Flamborough Street is full/empty then there are another 3 docking stations within 600m of the pub.

See all nearby docking stations together with space and bike availability at the TFL cycle hire website.

But remember if you are cycling, cycle safely and if you plan to cycle and have a few drinks consider using another transport method home.

By Boat

We kid you not. Whilst you can’t dock up outside the Old Ship – canoeing or kayaking to us (or rather to the Limehouse Basin then taking a 5 minute walk across Commercial Road) could be the strangest way you ever reached the Old Ship.

Check out our neighbours over at Moo Canoes to see canoe, kayak and paddleboard options from Limehouse Basin or their Milk Float – a floating barge based beside the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on the Lea Navigation by Hackney Wick. You can do a round trip around the Lea Valley Canal and Royal Regents Canal starting and ending in Limehouse – which takes around 2-3 hours and is perfect for a refreshing pint afterwards. Or perhaps you are looking for just an hours paddle from their Milk Float to the basin. Open Saturday’s and Sunday’s April through October, 10am-6pm (with other times on request) it’s a sure fire way to build up a thirst. Prices for a tandem kayak start from £26. They even run trips on the Thames from £49.

For the less adventurous, the Thames Clipper boats run ferry services from central London out to North Greenwich and beyond, with stops at Canary Wharf river pier. Thames Clipper is a useful connection from Surrey Quays via Greenland Pier, or from Rotherhithe via the Hilton shuttle ferry. Canary Wharf pier is just 20 mins walk from the Old Ship and takes in a meander along the river through either Ropermakers Field park or along Narrow Street, and then around Limehouse Basin to the Old Ship. It’s a great way to explore Limehouse and to end up in a friendly local.

Last but not least, if you have your own boat and are moored in the British Waterways managed Limehouse Basin, or perhaps you are just passing through the Basin or along the Regents Canal for a day, then consider a hop over to the Old Ship.

By Plane

We doubt you are considering this option. But if you were curious we are only 18 mins on the DLR from City Airport. So you could be from plane door to the Old Ship door in just 40 mins.