White Swan, 124 St George street E1W
St George in East Index
In 1841 & earlier, the White Swan address is listed as 124 Ratcliff Highway, before renaming to St George Street, and two doors away from Harris terrace. The White Swan was locally known as the Paddys Goose.
A listing of historical public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels in St George In East, London - in East London.
Fulham Stone Bottle, 124 Ratcliff highway - mid 1830s
Kindly provided by Rusty
Paddys Goose, Ratcliff highway
Residents at this address.
George Rogers was a Victualler and at the time he made his Will in 1805,
stated he was late of The Harlequin,
Drury Lane and now at the White Swan, Ratcliff Highway, opposite Old Gravel
Lane. *
1805/James Partridge, victualler, 124 Ratcliff Highway/../../Holdens
Directory
1807/Daniel Hobden/Victualler, White Swan, Ratcliff Highway/../../Sun Fire
Insurance
1811/Matthew Gilbert, wine vaults, 124 Ratcliff highway/../../Holdens
Directory
December1815/John Wright/White Swan, Ratcliff Highway : serving etc, fined
five shillings and costs /../../Informations received against Publicans
1832/Wright, White Swan, 124 Ratcliff Highway/../../Robsons Directory
1834/John Wright/Vintner, 124 Ratcliff Highway/../../Electoral Register
1839/John Wright/../../../Pigots Directory
1841/John Wright/../../../Kelly's Directory
1842/John Wright/../../../Robsons Directory
1843/John Wright/../../../Kelly's Directory
1848/J Wright/../../../Post Office Directory
1851/John Wright/../../../Kellys Directory
1851/John Wright/Victualler/33/Ratcliffe Highway/Census
1851/Elizabeth Wright/Wife/30/Walcot, Norfolk/Census
1851/John Wright/Son/6/St George/Census
1851/Ann Wright/Daughter/4/../Census
1851/Ellen Wright/Daughter/3/../Census
1851/Jemima Wright/Daughter/2/../Census
1851/Elizabeth Seely/Visitor/70/Norfolk/Census
1851/Lucy Grint/Visitor/23/Essex/Census
1851/Louisa Coman/Visitor/38/Lambeth/Census
1851/Charlotte Christmas/Barmaid/20/Battle, Sussex/Census
1851/William Broom/Servant/21/Devon/Census
1851/Mary Hopwood/Servant/42/../Census
1851/Susan Feetham/Servant/35/../Census
1851/Mary Woold/Servant/16/../Census
1856/J Wright/../../../Post Office Directory
November 1855/Charlotte Wright, widow of late occupier/ Incoming Licensee
/../../The Era
1865/Andrew Motion/../../../Post Office Directory
September 1864/Andrew Motion/Outgoing Licensee/../../Era
September 1864/Thomas Glassington Dickie/Incoming Licensee/../../Era
7th July 1866/Thomas Glassington Dickle/Outgoing Licensee/../../East London
Observer +
7th July 1866/John Harold Goodwin/Incoming Licensee/../../East London
Observer +
1869/John H Goodwin/../../../Post Office Directory
1870: The cab driver now desired to know if I would like to visit �Paddy's
Goose,� a den in �Ratcliffe Highway,� one of the worst of the bad districts
of London. This place is frequented by sailors of all nations, who visit the
spot to dance with the abandoned women, that are hired by the proprietors of
these resorts to entice the foolish seafaring men just discharged from their
vessels, with more money than they are able to take care of. �Paddy's
Goose,� or the �White Swan,� as it is called by its owner, is perhaps the
most frightful hell-hole in London. The very sublimity of vice and
degradation is here attained, and the noisy scraping of wheezy fiddles, and
the brawls of intoxicated sailors are the only sounds heard within its
walls. It is an ordinary dance house, with a bar and glasses, and a dirty
floor on which scores of women of all countries and shades of color may be
found dancing with Danes, Americans, Swedes, Spaniards, Russians, Negroes,
Chinese, Malays, Italians, and Portuguese, in one wild hell-medley of
abomination. The proprietor of this den is undoubtedly the most desperate
villain I ever saw outside of a prison gate, a man whose face is scarred and
corrugated by the foot-prints of the Devil, whose servant he has been for
many years, and yet I was informed that this scoundrel was tolerated, nay,
encouraged by the government, from the fact that he had great influence
among English seamen. . This man during the Crimean War hired steamers, with
bands of music, and served the Admiralty as a �crimp� for enlisting sailors,
or rather for trapping them by drugging them first and then �burking� them
off to the men of-war, which needed fresh complements of seamen. I did not
stay long in this Devil�s-Tavern, and I am sure my readers will excuse me
from going into particular mention of the beastliness and orgies I saw
there. Dismissing �Old Smudge� with a fee that seemed to meet - his
approbation, I turned my steps in the direction of the river, not doubting
for a moment but that I should find further food
Paddys Goose
1882/John H Goodwin/../../../Post Office Directory
1891/Henry F Curtis/Licensed Victualler/52/Scotland/Census
1891/Elizabeth A Curtis/Wife/37/London/Census
1891/William Richardson/Son in Law, Barman/22/Highbury?/Census
1895/Atkin Smith/../../../Post Office
1901/James W Barnes/Licensed Victualler/38/South Mimms, Middlesex/Census
1901/Bessie Barnes/Wife/29/Guildford, Surrey/Census
1901/Susan Gibson/Lodger, Sailor Merchant Service (Male)/47/Sweden/Census
1901/Ellen Abbott/Lodger, Machine Mantle Maker/45/London/Census
1901/Snnie Elman/Lodger/46/Russia/Census
1901/Charlie Elman/Lodger/8/Russia/Census
1901/Mary Bendler/Lodger/46/Russia/Census
1905/Anders Johan Pettersson/../../../Post Office
+ Provided by Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park
* Provided by Linda Rogers