The King’s Arms
During our family vacation in the United Kingdom, we came across the King’s Arms on King William Walk in Greenwich. Its brick exterior, hanging sign, and flower-filled window boxes were part of the streetscape we encountered while exploring the area. Behind that familiar pub frontage is a story preserved partly through the memories of local people.
The present building is described in a published local history as dating to 1891. Standing near Greenwich Park and the National Maritime Museum, the King’s Arms belongs to the everyday life of a neighborhood better known for its royal and maritime landmarks.
Its most interesting historical detail is an unofficial name: “The Bunker.” Recollections published by the Greenwich Industrial History Society confirm that people used this nickname before the Second World War and continued using it decades afterward. One contributor remembered naval staff at the National Maritime Museum calling it The Bunker in the early 1970s.
Why that name arose is less certain. Some accounts connect it with a basement bar used during wartime air raids, where customers could shelter and continue drinking. Another recollection links it to coal heavers from the nearby power station, who left their shovels against the pub while taking a break for refreshments. These explanations survive as local memories rather than a single established account.
The King’s Arms offers a different perspective on Greenwich’s past. Alongside its great buildings and preserved ships are places whose stories remain in conversation and community memory. Learning about this pub adds those everyday lives to the history we encountered during our travels.
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