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.
Read More
Read More From Nancy
Original Entrance to the Churchill War Rooms
I have visited the Churchill War Rooms more than once, but this photograph holds a special place in my memories because it was our first visit with our daughters. Before we descended into one of the most remarkable museums in the world, we paused at this sandbag-covered entrance, an image that immediately transported us back […]
County Hall
We have stayed at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall a couple of times while visiting London. Its location on the South Bank of the Thames, beside Westminster Bridge and directly across from the Houses of Parliament, makes it an especially convenient place from which to explore the city. Yet the building offers more than […]
Horse Guards
During our family trip to the United Kingdom, we visited Horse Guards in London, where Erin stood beside a mounted guard and his horse. It was an opportunity to encounter a tradition that continues as part of everyday life in the city: soldiers on horseback carrying out ceremonial duties at a historic royal entrance. Horse […]
