Thomas A'Becket, London (Rock Island Bar & Grill)

Large and iconic street corner pub which re-opened 14th February 2017, after a period of closure, as Rock Island Bar & Grill. Made famous by boxing legend Sir Henry Cooper who trained upstairs for fourteen years from 1956, while Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier were among the other stars of the sport to drop by for sparring practice while in the country. A Southwark Blue Plaque was unveiled on the pub by Sir Henry in 2011, after winning the vote in the scheme run by Southwark News, Southwark Heritage and the council. David Bowie was also a frequent visitor, using the second floor as a rehearsal area during the early 1970s, during which time he wrote his iconic The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars album. Modern bar with no real ale.