Introduction
Even during Roman times, there appears to have been a settlement on the south side of the Thames. Given its location on the south end of the old London Bridge, the area—now called Southwark—was one of the major entrances to London from the southern part of England.By the medieval era, Southwark had become an important suburb, full of medieval palaces, taverns, and brothels—all beyond the jurisdiction of the city. With the exception of Westminster, it was the only major center of activity outside the city. However, it was not totally lawless. Country gentlemen who came to attend Parliament found decent lodgings here. Two bishops (the more famous of whom was the Bishop of Winchester) and four abbots had large houses here. By the early Tudor period, almost every major bishop throughout England had a palace on the Thames. In addition to their residence in their home diocese, the bishops thought it necessary to have a base in London from which to conduct official business—after all, it was more pleasurable to be where the action was. Much of this practice was stopped by Henry VIII, when he seized the properties of the church in what is called the “Dissolution of the monasteries.”Winchester Palace dates back to the time of William the Conqueror. It is also interesting because of the power that the bishop maintained in London. His geographical jurisdiction is commonly referred to as “the Liberty of the Clink,” or simply as “the Liberty.” This was a district of about eighty acres along the Thames that the bishop controlled as his own. In that area, he made the laws and had the power to imprison those who transgressed his laws. In his jurisdiction, there were about eighteen different brothels, commonly called stewes because they were a combination of hot baths and houses of prostitution. However, this was nothing new; Southwark had been noted for its prostitution since Roman times. Slaves were often brought to serve in the brothels for their short lifetimes. These stewes were licensed by Henry II in 1161, thus making them the first in England to be licensed, and among the first in Europe to receive official recognition. Several of the laws of the bishop at Winchester dealt directly with prostitution, and revenues from the stewes were sent to the coffers of the bishop. The prostitutes became known as the “Winchester geese.” Venereal disease was spoken of as being “bitten by a goose” and often posed a major threat to the welfare of this area of London. The problem became acute in 1496, when it spread from the continent, reportedly brought by sailors who had gone to the new land with Christopher Columbus. During such times, the brothels were closed down. However, Southwark continued to be noted for its brothels into Tudor times.A major prison, the Clink, was also in Southwark’s confines. Originally, the clerical prisons in the Liberty of the Clink were built to hold recalcitrant clerics and errant nuns; as time passed, however, many of the inmates in the Clink were prostitutes and criminals instead. During the time of the Tudors, some were political prisoners—first of Mary and then of Elizabeth I. The idea of debtor’s prisons emerged as early as 1283, and when one was placed in prison for any crime, he or she was often left to starve, except for the food or drink begged from those who passed by. Some of the more compassionate passers-by would bring food and clothing (and even fuel) to pass into the prisoners. Some left bequests in their wills for the welfare of prisoners. In addition, two hospitals, St. Thomas and the Lock (or Leper hospital), were established in this area.Southwark’s major industries were varied: brewing was a major specialty, plaster and mortar-making led to early complaints of pollution, and weaving, glass making, and leather tanning augmented the fishing and boating industries that flourished here.London Bridge, the tether linking Southwark to the city, is the oldest bridge site in London, dating back to Roman times. Not until the Georgian era in 1750, when Westminster Bridge opened—much to the consternation of those who made their livelihood ferrying people across the river—was there another bridge to span the Thames. The initial London Bridge, made of wood, was barely wide enough to support two streams of traffic, one entering the City and one leaving. This was probably the bridge that was pulled down (as the song suggests), rebuilt, and repaired several times. In 1209, a new stone bridge was completed; it proved to be far more substantial. A chapel dedicated to St. Thomas á Becket was erected on the central pier of the bridge, and after the bridge was widened, houses and shops sprung up along both sides of the chapel and eventually spread from one end of the bridge to the other, making it much more difficult to traverse the bridge. The space between the fronts of the shops left room for only a single lane of traffic at best, and although three men were finally deputized to keep traffic moving across the bridge, it proved nearly impossible to keep it from slowing to a standstill. One of the more gruesome features of this bridge was the tradition of exhibiting the heads of traitors (including Thomas More) on the bridge.The nineteen piers holding this earlier bridge also presented special problems. The normally slow-flowing Thames was forced into rushing torrents as it shot through the passageways between piers. As one might imagine, some tried shooting these rapids for sport—often with disastrous consequences. An average of fifty “bridge-shooters” drowned each year. The piers also backed up the river (much like a dam), enabling it to freeze from bank to bank during some winters, providing a surface for ice skating for all who were interested. In the winter of 1683–84, the river froze so solidly that a “Frost Fair” was created by enterprising businessmen. Booths were constructed on the frozen stream, and oxen were roasted on the ice. Horses and carriages freely traversed the river from bank to bank. The Frost Fair continued throughout the month of January with more and more booths and tents, cookshops, barbershops and drinking sheds erected beneath the bridge. Teams of apprentices played football and hockey while their girlfriends cheered them on, eating mince pies and keeping their hands warm with baked potatoes. A printer put up a press and for sixpence sold a bordered card with the buyer’s name and date inscribed on it together with the certification: “Printed on the river of Thames being frozen. In the 36th Year of King Charles II.” John Evelyn noted, "Coaches plied from Westminster to the Temple . . . and from several other stairs to and fro, as in the streets, sleds, sliding with skates, a bull-baiting, horse and coach-races, puppetplay and interludes, cooks, tippling and other lewd places, so that it seemed to be a bacchanalian triumph, or carnival on the water."The river froze again in 1698 and 1740, but in 1832, with the erection of a new London Bridge with five, wide spans sixty yards upstream, the river flowed more freely. The Frost Fairs, in addition to shops and houses on the bridge, became only a memory of the past. In 1973, that bridge was purchased for £1 million and transferred to Arizona.During the Tudor age, Southwark became the major theatre center in London, largely because of seemingly intolerable restrictions placed on theatres in the city, which many perceived to be “hotbeds of vice and plague, as rendezvous for the idle and licentious, for evil men excited by boys dressed up as women, and for all those who would rather answer the call of the trumpet to a play than the tolling of the bell to a sermon.” The Puritans of the next century took care of the perceived problems by closing down the theatres during their reign.By the late 1800s, Southwark was vastly overcrowded—primarily with industrial enterprises: an iron foundry, a vinegar distillery, breweries, and gas and boiler works all battled for space. The entire region, interlaced with dark alleyways flowing out amidst the squalor of the factories, had become a poverty-stricken slum.Today, Southwark and the entire south bank of the Thames have become part of a major renovation project. Farther upstream, the South Bank Centre was developed, beginning in 1951, to enhance the area between Westminster Bridge and Waterloo Bridge. Additional construction south of the Thames has since included City Hall, the Globe Theatre, the Tate Modern, the London Eye, the Millennium Bridge, two Hungerford Bridges, and a number of expensive apartment complexes.The ShardOne of the most eagerly awaited structures to be built in London was The Shard (formerly known as the London Bridge Tower) which rises to a height of 1,016 feet, making it the tallest skyscraper in Europe. Adjacent to St.Thomas and Joiner Street, the structure towers over London Bridge Rail Station. Shaped somewhat like a thin elongated pyramid of glass, it has been nicknamed “the glass shard.” With seventy two habitable floors (95 total), it provides well over a million square feet of commercial and public space. Its architect, Renzo Piano of Italy, partnered with Richard Rogers (who, as noted in this book, designed several of the important modern structures in London) on the design of the famous Pompidou Center in Paris. Piano’s work is found all over the world.The building has two observation galleries, the lower (on floors 31–33) will provide a view similar to the London Eye. The upper gallery begins on the sixty-fifth floor and, at an elevation of 735 feet, provides a view never before seen in London, estimated to extend for thirty miles. Between the two galleries (floors 34–52) is the Shangri-la Hotel and private apartments (floors 53–65). Below the mid-level public piazza are twenty-three floors of office space, and below that a modern public piazza, greatly enhancing that part of the South Bank.
#1 Start: Tower Hill Tube Station to Tower Bridge
Begin this walk from Tower Hill tube station. When you come out of the tube station, make your way left to Tower Bridge.Pass by the entrance of the Tower of London and go left along the Thames.Turn right and cross over the bridge.Perhaps one of the most famous bridges in the world, Tower Bridge has been around since 1894, when it was originally created to provide passage over the Thames for the newly burgeoning East End of London. Even today it is the only bridge east of London Bridge. Its architecture is a nice match for St. Pancras station or the Palace of Westminster. Though originally a chocolate brown in color, it was painted red, white, and blue in 1977 in honor of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. The center of the bridge operates like a draw bridge, in order to let tall ships through to the Pool of London. Inside the bridge is an informative exhibition entitled Tower Bridge Experience, which you may want to visit sometime in the future. The overhead walkway (for those of you without a fear of heights) provides a spectacular view.
#2 Thames Path
After crossing the bridge, turn to your right and walk along the Thames Path.Shortly in front of you, you will see the ten-story London City Hall, built by Foster and Partners, the same firm that constructed the Swiss Reinsurance Tower that you saw in the Londinium walk. You will probably note similarities in the two structures. Its function is to house the assembly chamber for the twenty-five elected members of the London Assembly, as well as the office of the mayor and the five-hundred staff members of the Greater London Authority. Some parts of it are open to the public, and you might just want to pop in momentarily at this point to have a brief look around.
#3 City Hall back to Thames Path
After leaving the City Hall area, continue back in the same direction you were headed along the Thames.Though it is a tidal river, the Thames flows from west (inland) to east (the sea). Take a few minutes to look back at the City on the other side of the Thames, and see how many structures you can identify from this side. Look especially for the Tower of London, Minster Court, Billingsgate, the Monument, the Lloyd’s Bank building, and the Swiss Reinsurance Tower.
#4 HMS Belfast to Tooley Street
Continue on until you pass HMS Belfast, at anchor in the Thames, and look for the entrance to the Hay’s Galleria. Pass through the gallery and come out on Tooley Street.The HMS Belfast served through the duration of WWII, including the Normandy invasion. For the price of admission, you can visit a World War II cruiser and experience British naval history. The Cottons Centre within Hay's Galleria is perhaps the best example of an atrium in London.The name of Tooley Street has an unusual derivation. It is a perversion of “Olaf.” Is that enough of a stretch for you? The original Olaf (later to become St. Olaf) was a king of Norway responsible for regaining control of England from the Danes. Typically, when invading forces came up the Thames to London, London Bridge proved an impenetrable defense. Legend has it that when Olaf attacked, he simply covered his ships with wicker work, and sailed right under the bridge, not heeding the shower of arrows coming from above. While passing under the bridge, he attached lines to the piles and rowed off upstream. The bridge—which must have been very fragile—did indeed come falling down. This event was celebrated later in a Norse saga of the twelfth century, which some believe became the basis of the English nursery rhyme. Five churches in London were later given his name.One museum on Tooley street is the much-advertised London Dungeon. You may be interested in visiting it, but do so at a later date. Personally, I would rate it about one star—with five being the best. Much more instructive and worthwhile, in an educational sense (if you don’t have a queasy stomach) is the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret. Be forewarned that you have to climb a rickety spiral staircase to get there. It is located at 9A St. Thomas Street (go left off Tooley on Borough High Street and look for St. Thomas on your left). This is the oldest (though, happily, non-functioning) operating theatre in London. It was built above a church in 1822, in the days before anesthetics. Later, it was boarded up, abandoned, and forgotten. Just recently, it was rediscovered by accident and opened as a museum. In its own way, it is much more horrific than the London Dungeon.While you are in the area, and as you look down St. Thomas Street to the right (while facing the Old Operating Theatre), you will see The Shard (about a block away). This may be a good opportunity, if you have the time and don't mind a small detour, to pay a visit. If your time is constrained, note the location and come back for a look on a day when you have more time.
#5 Borough High Street to London Bridge
When you exit the Hay’s Galleria, make your way right on Tooley Street. When you arrive at Borough High Street, take a detour to London Bridge on your right. Walk out part way onto the bridge to take a look behind you at the Southwark Cathedral and its environs.This position presents one of the best views of the White Tower and Tower Bridge. In 1973, the previous version of London Bridge was purchased for £1 million, transferred to Arizona, and replaced by the present bridge. Rumors abounded that the purchaser thought he was buying Tower Bridge, which is now to your left as you face Southwark (pronounced Suth-uck). To your right is Southwark Bridge. When walking out on London Bridge, note the location of London Bridge Hospital and Hay’s Wharf to your left (again as you face Southwark), and the spires of Southwark Cathedral to your right, along with Pickford Wharf. You will go by each of these on this walk.
#6 Southwark Cathedral
Return from London Bridge and make your way to Southwark Cathedral by way of a footpath that goes right from Borough High Street. Go inside Southwark Cathedral.Southwark Cathedral has been called the best example of gothic architecture in London after Westminster Abbey. Inside the cathedral, look for the Shakespeare memorial (Why is he in here?), and the Harvard chapel (What is the relationship between this Harvard and Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts?). One of the more gruesome memorials in England is that of Thomas Cure, Esq. Make sure that you take time to note it carefully. Find the memorial for John Trehearne (How recently do you think it was colored?), and the one for Dr. Lionel Lockyer. This last is the type of memorial I would like; read the poem behind it. Also, find the memorial for John Gower, the British poet (note the books).
#7 Clink Prison
When you leave the cathedral by the front, turn right and continue on the path toward your right. Turn right again onto Cathedral Street—you should now be moving toward the Thames again. When you reach the first fork, take the left branch (not the one marked Minerva House). This will take you past Palace House. As you do so, you will go just to the left of the replica of the Golden Hinde, in which Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe over four-hundred years ago. Turn left again on the street marked Pickford’s Wharf. At this point, you should also see some signposts directing you left to the Clink Prison Museum.As you pass through this area, remember the vocations mentioned in the introduction. See if you can imagine what this area must have looked like in the early Tudor period. Moving down Pickford’s Wharf Street, which becomes Clink Street, you will pass the excavated remains of Winchester Palace on your left. Don’t expect much more than a floor plan though. This is where the Bishop of Winchester lived. Pickford Wharf itself is to your right.The Bishop’s coat of arms, which you see in passing the Clink, is interesting. It consists of a sword crossed by two keys that terminate in two interlocked hearts. It has been suggested that the sword stands for power, the keys for the Clink, and the hearts for the brothels. Again, I would rate the Clink Prison museum about one star (or less). I do not recommend it.You may have guessed that this was a rather wild part of London at one time, although it has been cleaned up considerably since then. The Clink was only one of five prisons in the area. In addition to the brothels, there were many gaming houses that you may know of from your study of Shakespeare. Taverns and all-night bars were very popular. So were cockfights (where spurs would be attached to the cocks, and they would fight to the death), bear baiting (where mastiff dogs would be turned loose on the bears—many of which had been blinded—for a fight to the death), bull baiting, horse-baiting, dog fights, etc. All of these indicate a brutal area, by our standards. But it was also the center of Tudor theatres. Three major theatres were in this area: the Hope, the Rose, and the Globe.
#8 The Globe to Thames Path
As you leave Clink Street (at the Anchor pub), bear right and follow the path along the Thames River. Make your way to the Thames side of the Globe (reopened in 1996). Continue up the Thames with the Globe on your left until you reach the Millennium Bridge and the Tate Modern.Look carefully at the architecture of the Globe, both inside and out, if possible. All of the building materials and methods used in the restoration of the Globe date back to Tudor times. It uses no microphones, no sound system, and no stage lights. Further, its repertoire is limited primarily to the plays of Shakespeare, Jonson, Marlowe, and their contemporaries. If you are here during its regular season, a play at the Globe is a must.I recommend yard tickets for a true Shakespearean theatre event. As you continue on the path by the Thames toward the Tate Modern, you will pass by the south end of Southwark Bridge, the famous “Iron Bridge” of Dickens’ Little Dorrit.The Millennium Bridge, designed again by Foster and Partners, was intended for the millennium celebration in London. It opened officially in June 2000. Much to the shock and consternation of the 150,000 who walked on the bridge during the first two days, it seemed to sway with the rhythm of the walkers, giving some the effect of seasickness. Two days after its official opening, it was closed down and was not reopened until February 2002, nearly two years later, after adjustments had been made to the bridge, rendering it more stable. Its location makes it an ideal passageway from the Tate Modern to St. Paul’s on the other shore. You ought to walk it sometime during your stay.The Tate Modern—as opposed to the Tate Britain, which contains only British painting and statuary and is in the Millbank area—is a renovated power station and an interesting modern art gallery. I recommend having an afternoon snack in the restaurant on the top floor, both for the quality of the food and for the view. The power station (Bankside) was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. His work in London included not only Battersea Power Station and Waterloo Bridge, but also the familiar red telephone kiosks—first designed by Scott in competition in 1922 and redesigned in 1935 for the Silver Jubilee of George V. The power station lasted from 1952 to 1981, when it was closed because of the rising cost of oil and the advent of less expensive means of producing electricity. Because of building codes when it was constructed, which allowed no building to go higher than the dome of St. Paul’s across the Thames, the smoke stacks of the Bankside Power Station were at just the right height for its black smoke to be carried across the Thames by the wind and deposited on the southern face of St. Paul’s. Consequently, when it was shut down and left idle, a face-cleaning was performed on the cathedral. In the 1980s, the Southwark Council conceived the idea of converting Bankside into an art gallery. It was officially opened in January 2000 as part of the millennial celebration. Currently, there is a boat ride that connects the two Tate galleries (Modern and Britain), with a stop at the London Eye. If you are interested in art, the boat trip is a good excuse to take a rather inexpensive, but relatively short, ride on the river.Further along the river is Blackfriar's Bridge, opened in 1869 by Queen Victoria, whose statue resides at one end. Named after the black-cloaked Dominican Friars who historically resided in the area, the bridge features pulpit-shaped pillars (another nod to the religious history of the area), decorated with carved bird life such as gulls and other marine birds on the downstream or east side and swans and other freshwater birds on the west or upstream side, an indication that Blackfriar's sits at a tidal turning point.
#9 South Bank Centre
Continue along the Thames to the South Bank Centre, one of the major entertainment centers in London.On your way to the Centre, you will pass Bankside Gallery, off to your left. Opened by the Queen in 1980, the gallery is a registered educational charity and home to the Royal Watercolour society (RWS). You might want to look at it if you are interested in an art purchase.Historically, South Bank Centre has little or no connection to Southwark, but we will walk through it while we are here in the locale. This is a beautiful walk during the warmer times of the year. You probably won’t have time to do much here today, but become familiar with it, so that you can return on occasion (read often). If you are interested in purchasing secondhand books, you will find a great selection in the open air book market along the Thames in front of the South Bank Centre, especially during dry weather.In 1951, exactly 100 years after the opening of the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, and one year before the death of King George VI and the ascendancy of Elizabeth II to the throne, London was once again the site of a major exposition: the Festival of Britain. The purpose of the festival was manifold, but primarily it was conceived as a maneuver to emphasize to the world once more the contributions of “Britishness” in the realms of industry, science, and the arts. It was also conceived as a way of lifting spirits and restoring pride in Britain after the devastation of World War II. A fair was erected on the South Bank, where old factories and derelict buildings were torn down and replaced by one permanent structure and several that were to serve only for the duration of the festival. The one permanent building, the Royal Festival Hall, which still remains today, was the first of a cluster of buildings designed to provide a cultural center now known as the South Bank Centre.Sixteen years later, in 1967, the Royal Festival Hall was joined by the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room. The following year, the Hayward (Art) Gallery was added to the complex, and in 1976 the National Theatre and the National Film Theatre were built in the centre. The Museum of the Moving Image (the MOMI), the largest museum in the world honoring the history and future of cinema and television, joined the complex in 1988, and an IMAX theatre was the latest addition in 1999. The first building you will come to in the complex (east of Waterloo Bridge) is the Royal National Theatre (commonly known as the National Theatre), containing three auditoriums: the Olivier, the Lyttelton, and the Cottesloe. Much of London’s finest theatre is presented here. Next (after passing Waterloo Bridge) is the BFI Southbank (formerly known as the National Film Theatre), which contains two cinemas. It is also one of the world’s leading cinematheques (cinemas specializing in avant-garde films). Close by is the Museum of the Moving Image (the MOMI), which, as the title suggests, covers the history of moving pictures from the days of the magic lantern to the present. For any of you who are movie or television buffs, this one is a must. Nearby these structures is the Hayward Gallery, one of London’s premiere art galleries. It is used for traveling exhibits, normally of contemporary or historical shows, as well as selected international fare.Farther along the Thames is the Queen Elizabeth Hall, a smaller concert hall than the Royal Festival Hall, largely used for musical performances. The Purcell Room inside is a still smaller hall used for more intimate music and dance recitals.Finally, you will come to the Royal Festival Hall the original focal point of the South Bank Centre. It contains a major concert hall and a smaller recital room. The ballroom is used for noon concerts. I highly recommend attending a couple of these. You can buy lunch at a café in the foyer and sit at a table and eat while you listen to a jazz, folk, or other noon concerts. There is also normally a good art exhibit in the ballroom.
#10 The End: Return to the BYU Centre
Coming out of the South Bank complex, continue up the river (to your left).If you are alert, you will notice that the Thames has been bending. When you entered the complex earlier, you were moving on an east-west axis. By the time you leave, you will be on a north-south axis.Cross the Thames on one of the two pedestrian Golden Jubilee Footbridges flanking either side of the Hungerford Bridge and catch a tube ride home at the Embankment tube station (Circle Line) across the river. If you continued farther down the south bank, you would come to the London Eye (ahead of you) and the London Aquarium. We will take you to both in the Westminster Walk.Hungerford Bridge goes back to the 1840s, when a pedestrian suspension toll bridge was designed to allow people on the south side of the river to cross the Thames to the Hungerford Market on the north side. The idea never caught on, however, and failed commercially. Some think its failure may have been because of the stench of the Thames at that time, especially during the summer. In the 1860s, Hungerford Market was replaced by Charing Cross train station, and a railroad bridge was constructed across the Thames near the same location. To its side was connected a small narrow footbridge that ran adjacent to the noisy, dirty trains. Until 2002, this was the only way to cross from the Embankment Station to the South Bank complex. Currently, there are two footbridges, designed by two young architects: Alex Lifschutz who came out of Foster and Partners and Ian Davidson who came out of Richard Rogers Partnership (you may be able to tell this from the design). One bridge, upstream from the Charing Cross railroad, links the London Eye to the road leading to the Palace of Westminster. The other, on the downstream side of the railroad bridge, links the South Bank complex to Somerset House and beyond to the Covent Garden area. Initially the two architects intended a connection between the two bridges that would pass under the railroad bridge, but that will probably never be constructed. Already the bridges are having an impact on the foot traffic of London, making the south bank of the Thames much more accessible.
