Borough and BanksideBOROUGH is the oldest part of Southwark. It was settled by the Romans, who built the first London Bridge. For many centuries Borough was outside the jurisdiction of London. It became known for its inns and bawdy behaviour and as a hideout for felons. Today it is very much a part of London, and its unsavoury reputation has gone. The neighbourhood is now a Conservation Area to preserve its special character.
SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL Montague Close SE1 Tel: 020 7367 6700
 London Bridge  London Bridge  21 35 40 P3 P11
Southwark Cathedral is the oldest Gothic church in London. It was completed in the 13th century after the original church burnt down in 1212. Since then parts of the Cathedral have been used as a prison, for housing, a bakery and as a pig sty! The history of Southwark and England is reflected in the alterations and repairs that have been made to the building over the centuries. The first Bishop was enthroned in 1905.
The new exhibition, part of a £10 million Millennium development, presents a ‘Long View of London’ and Southwark, past and present. The exhibition consists of touch-screen computers, display cases with important finds, comparisons of the view from the top of the cathedral tower of today’s London and a series of historic panoramas, a mini-cinema and a 360 degree view from London Bridge over a 24 hour period, which is projected into a dish in just 8 minutes.
 www.dswark.org.uk
THE GEORGE INN 77 Borough High Street Tel: 020 7407 2056
Borough London Bridge 21 35 40 P3
The George Inn, built in 1676, is the oldest galleried pub in London. In medieval times there were many inns in The Borough. The road from London Bridge was the only road south from the City, so inns were established to cater for the travellers. In the 18th century each inn became the starting point for a different destination. The inns are mentioned by Chaucer, Shakespeare and Dickens.
ST GEORGE THE MARTYR CHURCH Borough High Street SE1 Tel: 020 7407 2796
Borough London Bridge 21 35 40 P3
Often referred to as Little Dorrit’s Church because Dickens’ character was baptised and married here. Her kneeling figure can be seen in the stained glass east window. Dickens moved to Southwark aged 12 when his father was imprisoned in the nearby Marshalsea prison. He often wrote about Southwark in his novels and some of the locations can still be identified today. Other authors associated with Southwark include Chaucer, Keats, and Shakespeare.
HOP EXCHANGE 26 Southwark Street SE1
Borough, London Bridge London Bridge 21 35 40 P3 P11
Brewing was an important industry in Southwark and hops are an important ingredient of beer. Cast iron hops entwine the front of the building and in the pediment above, pickers pull down the hops and pack them into wicker baskets or carts. In the past many Southwark residents would spend their Summer holidays hop picking in the fields of Kent. The building now houses offices.
BANKSIDE was once an area of brothels and playhouses and home to one of the most famous prisons in London. Much of the land was owned by the Bishop of Winchester and the Liberty of the Clink, as it was known, was Southwark’s red light district. Today the area is far more reputable with restaurants, shops and a walkway along the Thames.
SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE THEATRE New Globe Walk SE1 Tel: 020 7902 1500
London Bridge London Bridge 149 P11
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is built on a site 200m from the original Globe Theatre. The first Globe was built in 1599 and held around 3,000 people. Shakespeare was a part owner of the theatre and many of his greatest plays were performed there. The Globe was one of many theatres on Bankside. It was demolished in 1646, but the determination of the American actor Sam Wanamaker led to today’s reconstruction.
www.shakespeares-globe.org
WINCHESTER PALACE Clink Street SE1
London Bridge London Bridge 21 35 40 47 P3 P11
Winchester Palace was the London residence of the Bishop of Winchester for over 500 years. Completed in the 1140s, many important visitors were entertained there. King James I held his wedding banquet at the Palace and Henry VIII probably met Catherine Howard, his fifth wife, there. The last resident bishop was Lancelot Andrews who died in 1626. The building was destroyed by fire in 1814, though the spectacular rose window survives.
TATE MODERN 25 Sumner Street SE1 Tel: 020 7887 8888
Southwark, London Bridge London Bridge 45 63 149 172 P11
Tate Modern at Bankside, opened in May 2000, is housed in a converted power station. The power station is an indication of the many industries that thrived in Bankside. Raw materials brought down the river were unloaded in wharfs along the waterfront and processed in nearby factories. The Gallery houses the national collection of international contemporary and modern art.
www.tate.org.uk/modern/default.htm
ROSE THEATRE Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge Road SE1 9HS Tel: 020 7207 6280
London Bridge, Cannon Street London Bridge, Cannon Street P11
This was Elizabethan Bankside’s first theatre, opened in 1587. Christopher Marlowe’s plays were performed by the Admirals Men and a group of actors which included the celebrated Edward Alleyn. Until the foundations were discovered in 1989, it was thought that nothing of the Bankside playhouses had survived. Along with the nearby reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe, it brings alive an important era of English theatrical history.
www.rdg.ac.uk/rose
BEAR GARDENS, SE1
London Bridge London Bridge
In the 16th and 17th centuries bears were baited by dogs for sport. People placed bets on how the dogs would perform and special bear pits were built for spectators. Pepys enjoyed watching it, but another diarist, John Evelyn, was disgusted, calling it "rude and dirty"" The Bear-pit was closed in 1682.
For local news, www.London-SE1.co.uk
Please check opening times and prices before you visit.
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