The Boleyn Tavern is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

public house in

East Ham East Ham is a district of the London Borough of Newham, England, 8 miles (12.8 km) east of Charing Cross. East Ham is identified in the London Plan as a Major Centre. The population is 76,186. It was originally part of the Becontree Hun ...

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

, at the junction of Barking Road and Green Street. It was built in 1899–1900, with the entrance consoles bearing a 1900 date. The Tavern was frequented by

West Ham United F.C. supporters West Ham United F.C. supporters are the followers of the London-based West Ham United Football Club, who were founded as Thames Ironworks in 1895. There are 700,000 fans on the club's database and over 2,300,000 likes on Facebook. The club's ...

due to its proximity to West Ham's ground, the Boleyn Ground. Often at risk from vandalism from opposing supporters, it has its windows boarded-up. It is on the

Campaign for Real Ale The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. With just under 155,000 members, it is th ...

National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors The National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors is a register of public houses in the United Kingdom with interiors which have been noted as being of significant historic interest, having remained largely unchanged for at least 30 years, but usu ...

A visit from Gandhi

The local tradition is that Mahatma Gandhi visited the Boleyn Tavern at least once in 1931. In that year Gandhi was in London for a three month period for talks on the future of India, he based himself at Kingsley Hall in Bromley-by-Bow and was enthusiastically received by

East Enders ''EastEnders'' is a British soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the programme follows the stories of lo ...

. It is said that he attended several West Ham games during his stay and visited the Boleyn Tavern where he drank cream soda while discussing football and radical politics with local people. Gandhi was a keen football fan, establishing three teams in South Africa, and already had a strong connection to West Ham through his friendship with its founder, Arnold Hills, while living in London completing his law studies in 1888–91. During this period Hills brought the young Gandhi onto the executive committee of the London Vegetarian Society. During his 1931 stay in London, Gandhi would take long early morning walks, and often used the nearby Sewerbank (or Greenway) between Stratford and Plaistow. Gandhi also met

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

in nearby

Canning Town Canning Town is a district in the London Borough of Newham, East London. The district is located to the north of the Royal Victoria Dock, and has been described as the "Child of the Victoria Docks" as the timing and nature of its urbanisation ...

.article on the meeting between the two men http://www.canningtownlife.com/2014/05/gandhi-and-charlie-chaplin-a-famous-meet-in-canning-town/

References

Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Newham Grade II listed pubs in London West Ham United F.C. National Inventory Pubs East Ham Pubs in the London Borough of Newham Commercial buildings completed in 1900 {{pub-stub