top of page

95 Highwaymen, Drunken Clergy and Ghosts

Writer's picture: Dave GobleDave Goble

Updated: Mar 1, 2024

The London Apprentice has attracted clientele of all sorts over the ages.


A Grade II listed building, it is located next to the River Thames at 62 Church Street in Isleworth, and dates back to the 18th Century when it replaced the inn there, built in the 14th Century.



An inn has stood here since Tudor times, though the current building is an early Georgian replacement. While most old pubs claim links to Dickens, Johnson and their ilk, the Apprentice has royal connections, including visits from Henry VIII and Charles I, who apparently popped by while visiting Syon.

By 1731 the present building was recorded as a licensed inn. It overlooks Isleworth Stairs, established in the reign of Henry VIII for the ferry connecting Richmond Palace with the north bank of the Thames. It was from Isleworth Stairs that the Nine Day Queen, Lady Jane Grey, boarded the Royal Barge on July 9th 1553 to accept the throne as Queen of England, only to be imprisoned in the Tower just nine days later.


Being close to the main Roman road from London to Bath and Winchester made the pub a popular target for highwaymen, footpads and chancers.

The village also served as a dock for barges and boats carrying goods for transport to other regions, meaning people from far and wide would alight at Isleworth dock, and maybe take in some refreshment at The London Apprentice, so called because of the ‘apprentice lads’ of the barges who would stop here during their free time.


Looking S.E. from outside the pub towards the Isleworth Ait


Legend has it there was a tunnel leading from the old inn to the church which was used by smugglers past. It was also the haunt of the aforementioned highwaymen and drunken clergy, and boasts two ghosts: one of a young apprentice who lost his life when the Thames was in spate; and another of Reverend Glossop, the much-loved Vicar of All Saints Church across the road from the pub, whose grave bore for many years the only flowers in the churchyard. His monument stands in South Street, in Isleworth. His ghost has been seen outside the church and the pub, which he often frequented. It’s almost as if he loved his parish so much that he cannot bear to leave it.


Inside


The ghost of the young boy has been seen in the bar and upper rooms, and present-day bar staff have their own tales to tell. The ghost of Nell Gwynne, lover and mistress to King Charles ll, has also been seen here, though apparently more often felt than seen; and a ghost that manifests in a very redolent way with the scent of gardenias.


The Reverend Glossop Memorial Fountain in Isleworth


The London Apprentice, by Adrian Bury, 1947


Another old picture, date and artist unknown


So, the London Apprentice pub and restaurant is a great spot to eat, drink, relax, breathe in some history and check out a ghost or two.


Red arrow: The London Apprentice

Pink arrow: The Reverend Glossop Memorial Fountain



126 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page