The "Prospect of Whitby" (once nicknamed "Beanies") is one of the most famous pubs in London. It dates from 1520, built as a simple tavern.

In the seventeenth century it had a reputation as a meeting place for smugglers and villains, and became known as 'Devil's Tavern'.

One customer, this side of the law but no less a devil, was Judge Jeffreys, the Hanging Judge, whose victims were chained up in the river at low tide and left there while several tides washed over them.

When the Monmouth Rebellion (1685) failed to overthrow Catholic King James II, the ringleaders were tried by Lord Chief Justice Jeffreys.  He presided over the "Bloody Assizes" in which 300 men involved in Monmouth's rebellion were sent to the gallows. He was more hated than ever.

In 1688 the Glorious Revolution saw James II flee to France. Jeffreys tried to follow but was caught by a mob.  One account claimed he was caught hiding in a coal cellar at the tavern dressed as a coal-heaver.  Another account says he was caught in "The Town of Ramsgate" nearby and beaten.    In the end, he was taken to the Tower of London nearby, and executed.

The pub was gutted by fire in the 17th Century and when rebuilt was renamed after the Whitby collier that moored up alongside when delivering to London.