Turner's Old Star Wapping, pool in Wapping

Photo: CAMRA WhatPub

Turner's Old Star Wapping: Pool & Snooker in London

Free poolWalk-in1 tableDartsSky Sports

14 Watts Street, Wapping, London · E1W 2QG · Mo-Th 12:00-23:00; Fr 12:00-24:00; Sa 12:00-24:00; Su 12:00-22:30

Turner's Old Star is a proper East End local on a quiet Wapping backstreet, and there's a free pool table in the back room for anyone who fancies a game. It suits people who want an unfussed, traditional pub: well-kept cask ales, Sky Sports on, a garden out back, and a games room where the pool table sits alongside a dartboard. The single most useful thing to know is that the table is free to play and walk-in, with cues and balls provided, so you can just turn up and rack up.

The pub also runs a team in the East End Pool League, so on league nights the room can be busy with regulars. Come earlier or midweek if you want a clear table. Food runs through the day until 9pm, Monday to Saturday.

The pool setup

The pool table sits in a room at the rear, past the main bar, sharing the space with a dartboard. It is a single table, the kind you find in a traditional local rather than a dedicated hall, so it is best for a casual game with mates rather than a long session across multiple tables. Equipment is provided: cues and balls for the pool, and darts are kept behind the bar. The pub fields a team in the East End Pool League, so there is a genuine playing crowd here, not just a table gathering dust in the corner.

Good to know

It is a free house feel with well-kept cask ales, including London Pride and Doom Bar, plus Sky Sports for the football. There is a garden out the back if the weather plays along, and it is child friendly during the day. Food is served noon to 9pm Monday to Saturday, with no kitchen service on Sunday. The pub opens from noon every day, closing at 11pm midweek, midnight on Friday and Saturday, and 10:30pm on Sunday. Watts Street is a quiet residential turn, so it stays calmer than the riverside pubs nearby.

Getting there

You are in the heart of Wapping, a short walk from Wapping station on the London Overground, which makes the trip easy from Shoreditch, Whitechapel and south of the river via the Thames tunnel line. Shadwell, on the DLR and Overground, is also within walking distance if you are coming from the City or Canary Wharf. The pub has a bit of history too: the painter JMW Turner inherited cottages here and turned them into a tavern, which is where the name comes from.

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Common questions

What is Turner's Old Star?
It is a traditional East End pub on Watts Street in Wapping, with well-kept cask ales, Sky Sports, a garden, and a back room games area with a pool table and dartboard.
Is the pool table free to play?
Yes. The table is open to anyone who fancies a game and equipment is provided, with no charge reported. Darts are kept behind the bar.
Do I need to book the pool table?
No booking system is mentioned. It is walk-in, so just turn up and play. It can get busier on East End Pool League nights, so come earlier or midweek for a clear table.
How many pool tables are there?
There is one pool table, in the games room at the rear of the pub, sharing the space with a dartboard.
What are the opening hours?
Noon to 11pm Monday to Thursday, noon to midnight on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 10:30pm on Sunday. Food runs to 9pm Monday to Saturday, with no Sunday kitchen service.
What is the nearest station?
Wapping station on the London Overground is a short walk away, and Shadwell (DLR and Overground) is also within walking distance.

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