18-05-2025
London's Alfresco Dining Revival Has One Obstacle: Londoners
A glorious summer has been unfolding in London, and the city's mayor is pushing for more outdoor dining and longer opening hours for restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. Who could object to an expansion of European-style cafe culture in the brief interval when the weather is so inviting? The Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich offers an example of why the path ahead may be less clear than the skies overhead.
The historic pub sits on the south bank of the Thames next to the site of the Old Royal Naval College and National Maritime Museum. Opened in 1837 and named after Admiral Horatio Nelson's famous victory, patrons included writers William Thackeray and Charles Dickens, who used it as the setting for a scene in Our Mutual Friend. Prime Minister William Gladstone was a customer in the 1880s; more recently, Liz Truss, whose premiership was almost as brief as the Battle of Trafalgar (though less successful), held her wedding reception there.
