Who’s Who?

Oisin Rogers – General Manager

I’ve been paid to purvey alcohol since I was 18 when I worked as a barman at The Stag’s Head in Dublin. I have a faint recollection of working alongside many of the cast of the Commitments while it was being filmed but recall very little of that. I am a good example of a teenage tearaway made good, to some extent, by the pub trade. I came to London in 1990 and since then am happily called Osh by almost everybody.

Notable pubs I’ve had the privilege of running during my 20 years in London include the Man in the Moon in Chelsea, The Marlborough in Richmond, The St Margaret’s Tavern, The London Apprentice in Isleworth and The Boathouse in Putney. I’m currently looking after The Orange Tree in Richmond as well as being at the helm of The Ship, Wandsworth.

Living close to Richmond I’m married to Tracey, and love the fact that any of my four lovely daughters can be spotted helping out at The Ship on weekend mornings.

I’m hugely proud of The Ship and all the crew who work with me. I also reckon I have the pretty much best job in the world.

Phil White – Deputy Manager

Everybody knows Phil. He’s been running the front of house for four years now and has been key to the success of the business over that time. There’s a lot to be said about Phil, aside from the fact he can appreciate a decent red and often be spotted speeding in and out of the premises on a skateboard.

Born in Portsmouth, like most teens he fled the nest at 18, and went to study Catering Management at the University of Bournemouth. During those three university summers he migrated to Newquay, giving his other board sport some attention, hitting the surf by day and working the vibrant club scene during the evenings.

After obtaining his degree, the travelling bug got the better of him and he spent a year touring Australia and New Zealand. Highlights of this year include the hippyesque chilled beaches and surf of Byron Bay, starkly contrasted with the extreme sports on offer in Queenstown, New Zealand.

In 2003, Phil returned to the UK and uprooted to the capital, working in a bar in Richmond for two and a half years before moving to St Margaret’s and beginning a professional relationship with Oisin.

When Oisin took over the Ship in 2006, he maintains that Phil was key to the smooth transition and he continues to be the kingpin of the business.

John Knight – Bar Manager

It’s not a well-known fact that Hertfordshire born Johnny launched himself directly into the catering industry post-schoolings and spent 8 years as a Chef prior to becoming one of the world’s most knowledgeable barmen. He tied up his Cheffing career as The Richmond Gate Hotel’s Pastry Chef before being poached away from Richmond by Oisin Rogers who quickly made him his Assistant Manager at St Margaret’s Tavern. They took this freshly developed pub and converted it into a fantastic local English Pub, winning the Publican’s Pub of the Year in 2004.

After a successful four years at St Margaret’s Johnny and Oisin were lured by Young’s and took over a new project, the Boathouse in Putney – one of the summer hotspots especially for the prestigious London Boat Race. After two years there, Johnny took a career change to St Anton, hungry to throw himself down a hill on a snowboard while working in the maddest bar on the slopes; the world renowned Krazy Kanguruh bar.

Johnny then returned to England’s capital and took his bar tending to a new level, cocktails. Working in the City’s Rocket Bar he developed the care, precision and creativity vital to make decent cocktails.

Throughout this period Oisin was still grumpy at the loss of one of his shining stars and had been persistently attempting to entice Johnny back to Young’s. After lengthy negotiations Johnny has returned as the Bar Manager of the Ship and intends to spend the next two years building a brilliant bar team to continue and progress the high level of bar service that the Ship is notorious for. Eventually he would like to go abroad to do volunteer work in South America or Africa.

Hannah Radford – Restaurant Manager

Deceivingly young Hannah is our sole local employee, having been born and raised around these quarters. With a flair for photography, art and design, she puts her creativity down to childhood travels through Europe, sampling a multitude of individual cuisines and cultures.

Hannah worked in hospitality throughout her education, serving in the Gherkin, Bank and the National Theatre, Waterloo. After leaving Sixth Form she began working at the Ship, where Oisin spotted her natural customer service skills and incredible patience when dealing with busy periods. He promoted her to Restaurant Manager after just one year and she has been taking on more and more responsibility ever since. Hannah has incorporated her creative side and works alongside the chefs to design and shoot the food presentation and her images are often used in our monthly mailer and tweets.