Woods Quay

Woods Quay floats on the Thames between Cleopatra's Needle and Waterloo Bridge, on the site of an old Victorian pier and the pub boat it replaced. It is the home berth of Woods' Silver Fleet, the river yachts of a family who have worked the Thames as watermen since 1866, and it won a RIBA London Award in 2022 for architecturall ltd with Bere Architects. From the Embankment you see a wall of charred timber and, at low tide, a sedum roof. The other three sides are glass, the floors are pebble terrazzo and the structure is oak, and the whole building rises and falls with the tide.

Inside, the plan splits into two wings off a central reception deck. The Cormorant Deck is open to the river on one side, with a pair of fireplaces for the cooler months. The East Wing is a tasting room around an open kitchen, where an executive head chef cooks behind a long stone and concrete counter for up to 56 at table. The West Wing is a bar with floor-to-ceiling windows, a wraparound outside deck and a water-level view of Cleopatra's Needle, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye. Beyond the glass runs the private mooring pontoon, which can be dressed for an arrival or a reception.

Taken whole, the quay seats 156 or holds 250 standing. A DJ can play in the West Wing Bar and on the Cormorant Deck, and a host may bring their own. The house keeps no approved supplier list, and food is cooked on site, with a dry-hire route where a specialist caterer is needed.