8 Fascinating Facts About Southwark, London

Last updated on January 4th, 2021 at 07:35 pm

Southwark (pronounced suth-arc, don’t make the mistake of saying ‘south-walk’ if you don’t want to out yourself as a tourist!) is a borough of inner London, connected to the City of London by bridges across the River Thames. Southwark London as we know it was formed in 1965 by amalgamating Bermondsey, Camberwell and Southwark, three former metropolitan boroughs in their own right.

We discovered Southwark as part of Discover Real London’s ‘Staycation Tour’. Many facts about London were learnt, which you can discover here, however Ollie held so much knowledge about Southwark that the area deserved a post of its own.

#1

Transforming from a really rough area in the 1800s, Southwark is now as safe as the rest of Central London, however that’s not always been the case. In the nineteenth century the area was home to London’s red light district, bear pits, dog fighting, bear baiting and gambling. You could say it was much more of a lawless area than The City of London just north of the river!

#2

Until 1750 the only method of crossing the river was London Bridge, so ‘water taxis’ would ferry punters across the river to experience the hedonism of the activities on offer in Southwark. Ferrymen’s Seats would line the streets South of the river, to wait for customers.

#3

The seat above is thought to have ancient origins, and can be found on Bear Gardens, which incidentally is named after the Davies Amphitheater, the last bear baiting pit in London. Made out of flint, it’s less of a seat and more of a perch – I imagine your thighs would be burning after crouching on that tiny ledge for a while!

#4

It’s hard to miss the signature central tower of the Tate Modern standing proudly on the Southbank. If you think this is an odd design for an art gallery, you would be correct. The building of the Tate Modern was previously a power station, before it was converted and opened to the public in 2000. The architect of the power station, Giles Gilbert Scott, also designed London’s iconic red telephone boxes.

#5

Speaking of art, how often do you look down at the ground as you walk? Well, when crossing the Millennium Bridge, you really should. Ben Wilson has created an art gallery beneath your feet, with tiny works of art on discarded chewing gum. Locally known as ‘the chewing gum man’, Wilson has been creating art on discarded gum for over a decade, with acrylic paint and lacquer. Why not see how many you can spot next time you’re in the area?

#6

One of the most well-renowned architectures of Southwark is Shakespeare’s Globe. Located just West of Southwark Bridge, The Globe is the only building in central London to boast a thatched roof, after they were outlawed following the Great Fire of London. Originally built a few streets along from where it now stands, the original Globe Theatre was built in 1599 before burning down due to a faulty cannon in 1613. A second Globe was built on the same site in 1614, before closing down in 1642. Shakespeare’s Globe that stands now is a modern reconstruction, completed in 1997 (and boasts many more fire exits than the original!).

#7

You can’t call yourself a Londoner if you’ve not enjoyed a pint and a peruse of the food stalls at Borough Market on a Saturday afternoon. One of London’s oldest markets, Borough claims to have been trading for over 1,000 years and was originally situated closer to the river. Refrigeration wasn’t an option in the 1600s, so the market became a nuisance when farmers bought their animals to the market live, clogging up the surrounding roads with cattle. The market was closed in 1756 after Londoners got tired of the only Southern route into the City of London being blocked by livestock. However, local residents petitioned and raised funds to reopen the market, relocating slightly to the spot it still stands today.

Driven by urbanisation and the arrival of the railway in the nineteenth century, Borough became the hub of the fruit and veg wholesale trade. Over a century later, their status as a wholesale hub was overshadowed by the popularity of New Covent Garden in the 1970s, however by the time the nineties came around a few artisan food businesses took advantage of Borough’s abandoned warehouses. Later that year a three day food fair took place, and Borough Market as we know it today was born.

#8

If you’re looking for a great view of the City of London, you can’t beat the views over the Thames from Southwark. The highlight has to be St Paul’s Cathedral, sitting majestically at the end of the Millennium Bridge. Until only sixty years ago St Paul’s was the tallest building in London, until the BT Tower overtook it in 1962. Seems crazy to think now with the likes of the Gerkhin and The Shard! Also seen from the Southwark side of the Thames is St Bride’s Church. Sitting inconspicuously on Fleet Street, the pretty architecture was the inspiration for tiered wedding cakes.

Thanks to Ollie at Discover Real London‘s fountain of London knowledge for inspiring this post! You can read about our full tour here; I cannot recommend enough for something unique to do in London. What’s your favourite thing to do or see in Southwark? Let me know below.

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