Charters at a glance
- What
- Real ale bar and pan-Asian restaurant on a converted Dutch barge
- Where
- Moored on the River Nene at Town Bridge, PE1 1FP
- Opened
- September 1991, in a barge built in 1907
- On the bar
- Eight real ales and eight real ciders, around 500 guest beers a year
- Upstairs
- East, a 100-seat pan-Asian restaurant on the upper deck
- Best for
- Beer, live music, and the largest beer garden in the city
A 1907 Dutch barge, moored by Town Bridge since 1991, with eight cask ales below deck and a Thai kitchen above. Reputedly the largest converted barge in Britain, and unmistakably Peterborough's.
Charters began life as the Leendert-R, a Dutch cargo barge built in 1907. It was brought up the Nene by Paul Hook, who wanted a real ale bar and reasoned that if a barge didn't work out he could always weigh anchor and try somewhere else. The first customers walked up the gangplank in September 1991, and it has been moored beside Town Bridge ever since.
The bar runs almost the full length of the hull below deck, all dark wood and low ceilings, with eight cask ales and eight real ciders on at any time and something like five hundred guest beers passing through in a year. Charters was the first permanent customer of Oakham Ales, then a young Peterborough brewery, and the two have been linked ever since. Bishops Farewell and Inferno are usually on.
What to expect
The bar
Eight cask ales, eight real ciders and Belgian bottled beers. A Good Beer Guide regular and a Peterborough CAMRA Gold Award winner.
East
A hundred seats of pan-Asian cooking, Thai at its heart, run separately from the bar. Duck pancakes and the Sunday buffet are what regulars order.
The beer garden
The largest in Peterborough, running along the riverbank with murals, covered areas, an outside bar added in 2021, a stage and a landing stage for boats.
Live music
Bands, DJ sets and quizzes through the week, and named by Guardian readers among the top ten live music pubs in the UK.
Beer festivals
Regular festivals in February, at Easter and in August, separate from the city's own beer festival on the Embankment.
Dogs and families
Dog friendly throughout, and the garden is set up for families on a Sunday afternoon rather than just for drinkers.
Getting here and good to know
- Address
- Charters Bar, Town Bridge, Peterborough, PE1 1FP
- On foot
- West side of Town Bridge, about ten minutes from the city centre and the railway station.
- By boat
- There is a landing stage alongside the garden for visiting craft.
- Access
- The garden is at ground level, but reaching the bar and the restaurant involves steps down into and up through the barge.
- Food
- Bar food at lunchtime, with East open separately on the upper deck for lunch and dinner. Booking is sensible for the restaurant.
- Busy times
- Weekend evenings, sunny afternoons and Peterborough United home match days.
While you're here
The Embankment
The city's riverside greenspace, directly across the water, and host to festivals and events through the summer.
Nene Valley Railway
A footpath from the beer garden leads west along the river towards the heritage railway and Railworld.
Key Theatre
Five minutes along the Embankment side of the river, for drama, comedy and touring shows.
Peterborough Cathedral
Ten minutes on foot through the city centre. Free to enter, and one of the finest Norman buildings in England.
Opening hours, menus and events change. Details correct at the time of writing, August 2026. Check with the venue before travelling, particularly for the restaurant and for live music.