The Anchor Bankside is a pub in London, situated on south bank of The Thames next to the London bridge station.
This pub is where diarist Samuel Pepys saw the Great Fire of London in 1666. He wrote that he took refuge in "a little alehouse on bankside ... and there watched the fire grow". Another fire devastated the pub and it was rebuilt in 1676 and has since had additions over the centuries. It is the sole survivor of the riverside inns that existed here in Shakespeare's time, when this district was the centre and heart of theatre land and the Thames was London's principle highway. At that time the Anchor's interior was mainly constructed of oak and frequented by many actors from the neighbouring playhouses including the Globe, the Swan and the Rose. At a later date the Anchor Tavern was a favourite place for river pirates and smugglers and during the course of repairs carried out in the early 19th Century, the removal of a massive oak beam revealed a perfect nest of ingeniously contrived hiding places probably used for the storage of stolen goods and contraband.
In June 2008, Anchor Bankside recently underwent one of the most costly refurbishments in pub history, at a reported 2.6 million pounds sterling funded by the current owners punch taverns .