Southwark and Bankside, London

4 more images

My friend does not live far from Southwark so on my way back to central London I decided to visit the Cathedral. The site of the cathedral has been there since the 11th Century. The building then was a priory and following The Reformation in 1536 it became St Saviour's Church. A number of extensive renovations had been carried out to the building. It was renamed as Southwark Cathedral in 1905.

You can able to take a self-guided tour of the catheral and there is a shop and refectory.

Apart from regular services, the cathedral has a number of events on throughout the year and recitals and concerts are held throughout the year. Please check out their website for further information.

I was somewhat in a quandary as to where to place this tip, should it be shopping or a thing to do? In fairness, I hate shopping (except food shopping which I love) and the options here are actually quite limited, so I plumped for things to do.

It is the Hay's Galleria on the Southbank, not far from the HMS Belfast, Southwark Crown Court, London Bridge Station etc. and it is worth a visit on it's own merit even if retail therapy isn't high on your agenda. In fairness, although much renovated, it is a fascinating place in it's own right with a huge amount of history attached.

Let's go back now to 1651 when a Mr Alexander Hay became the proprietor of a brewhouse in Tooley Street. Tooley Street is the main road running past the place to this day. This was possibly not a great commercial decision as the Great Fire of London in 1666 basically razed London to the ground. Forward toi 1696 and Alexanders son Joseph, with a couple of neighbours, had re-opened and employed six watermen to fight any such future conflagration, thereby effectively forming the world's first fire brigade. Remember this the next time you see the brave people that fight fires in your area racing past.

Fortunately, no further fire is recorded (not for a while anyway, so read on) so we pass into the 18th century when the Wharf, as it was then called, became a refuge for German Protestants fleeing Catholic persecution in their homeland. Unfortunately, their relief was only temporary as fever broke out and many of them were relocated to Carolina to become some of the first American settlers.

On the death of death of Francis Theodore Hay in 1838 the family association ends, although the name remains. Fire, as I alluded to earlier, plays a major part in the life of this area, and we now come to another catastrophic event, the Great Fire of southwark in 1861. Against a backdrop of huge devestation, the London Fire Brigade was formed. Interestingly, London Fire Brigade (LFB) headquarters are still located not far away.

The wharf continued and boomed throughout the 20th century, surviving punishing blitzes by German bombers in World War II, but by the 1960's, like a lot of places, events had overtaken them and the actual docks which provided the lifeblood of the place, slowly declined. It was only with relatively recent 1980's development that we arrive at the magnificent structure here today. Even if you don't shop it is worth a look for the wonderful architecture.

This must be a great attraction in London to take children to. The Golden Hinde is a replica of Sir Frances Drakes warship in which he travelled across the world between 1577 and 1580.

You can do self guided tours and see what life must have been like on a Tudor warship or guided tours where a costumed guide tells of life at sea, hear of old weapons and this brings history to life.

4 more images

It is said that this is the oldest Gothic church in London, but what impressed me about it is that it is Shakespeare‘s old neighborhood church. The Globe Theatre is just a couple of hundred meters along the river from it and the Cathedral contains a It is known that his brother was buried here and likely William would have been in attendance. Some of the stained glass windows depict characters from his plays and there is a nice marble statue of him in the church. Another interesting association is that this church is where John Harvard, founder of Harvard University in the U.S., was baptised.
The church is old enough that it is sometimes called the mother church of Anglicans and the site is thought to be one where worship of some kind has gone on since about the 6th or 7th century. The full name of the church is The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St. Saviour and St. Mary Overy. The great English travel writer, H. V. Morton, called it “one of the finest churches in London,” and I tend to agree with him. It is a splendid and solid looking building with a wonderful ceiling with beautiful stone tracery, lovely stained glass and an altar screen of fine stone statues.

Opposite St Paul's Cathedral next to the Globe Theatre is Cardinal's Wharf. A little known house stands there that people generally ignore or miss as they walk past but has a rich history. When Catherine of Aragon first came from Spain she stayed in this house in 1501.

Two centuries later Sir Christopher Wren stayed here whilst overseeing the buidling of St Paul's.

The alley next to the house is one of the narrowest in London.

A replica of Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hinde is docked just west of Southwark Cathedral. The startling thing about this is to see the small size of this galleon and to imagine what it would have been like back in 1580 to circle the globe in it. It's so small by today's standards; I can't think of where all the men crowded in. And this was the largest to the five ships from that journey!

Drake finished his journey with only one ship and 56 men, but what they brought back in gold, spices and other booty made him rich, as well as getting a kiss from Queen Elizabeth and being knighted on the main deck. There's lots more history to be told about this, but I am not here to write a book. Even if you don't pay the admission and go on deck, it is worth stopping by and seeing it. You are quite close to it from the walkway.

For centuries this part of London was filled with taverns, workers, low criminals and busy with urban life. The Anchor Tavern has been here for ages, on a site that has been a tavern for 800 years. The current building was built in the years following the Great Fire of 1666, and has a small maze of interior rooms. The original Globe Theater was behind here, where also once stood the Anchor Brewery. Now you can have a pint in the same place where Shakespeare did.

Back in Shakespeare's time this Bankside area was lined with taverns and inns, brothels and the many types of people who gave it a notorious reputation. Where once the visitor to the area had to be wary of pickpockets, prostitutes and other sorts, now you just have to decide whether to buy an ice cream or a lemonade from one of the vendors, or move along the bankside with its views of the Thames and London's bridges.

4 more images

With ancestors coming from this area, it became a must for me.
This site has been used as a place of worship for at least 1400 years. There are remains of Roman and Norman buildings incorporated into the structure or foundations. The timeline for the Cathedral is :
AD 606 a convent
AD 1106 an Augustine Priory
AD 1540 Parish Church
Ad 1905 Cathedral

This cathedral is London’s oldest Gothic Church. It is on the south bank of the R. Thames near London Bridge, and close to Borough Market.
When I visited in June 2008 the grounds were packed with people- tourists, local employees having their lunch break
There is no actual admissionv charge but a donation is welcomed. Photography is not allowed without a permit which costs £2
An Audio tour is available , and guided tours can be pre-booked.
There is a shop and refectory; toilets, ramps and lifts for the disabled .
It is open Monday- Friday 8.00 - 18.00; Saturday and Sunday 9.00-18.00
The refectory is open weekdays 8.30-18.00; weekends from 10.00-18.00
On Christmas Day and Good Friday everything is closed.

Among the monuments is one to Shakespeare, and above it a stained glass window with scenes from some of his plays. There is also a small monument to Sam Wannamaker who reconstructed the Globe Theatre,