From prison to pub
Our History
Food Served
12pm - 9pm
Welcome to the Morpeth Arms, a historic pub on the banks of the Thames, where London’s past is never far away. Once built to serve the wardens of Millbank Prison, the pub still holds echoes of its former neighbour—whose cells once lay beneath your feet and whose legacy lives on just across the road at Tate Britain.
Beneath the Morpeth Arms lie the original cells of Millbank Prison, one of the last remaining traces of the vast penitentiary that once stood on this riverside site. Opened in 1816 and designed around a “Panopticon” watchtower concept, the prison was built on challenging Thames-side ground and quickly became infamous for its scale and conditions.
Prisoners lived in hammocks, worked as tailors, and many were transported to Australia from the river steps directly opposite the pub. A surviving bollard across the road still marks the spot where convicts began their journey. The prison closed in 1890 and was demolished to make way for Tate Britain.
Built in 1845 to serve prison wardens, the Morpeth Arms remains steeped in this history—right down to the cells below and tales of a ghostly prisoner said to haunt the pub to this day.
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With space for any kind of party, if you’re celebrating get in touch!
From homemade pies to Sunday roasts, fish & chips to scotch eggs, our menus are full of the favourite pub classics.