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Bankside and Borough

Whether you are checking out the fantastic collection of art at Tate Modern, crossing the Millennium Bridge or admiring the view of the river, it's easy to forget that Bankside used to be among the most insalubrious stretches of the River Thames. As early as the Middle Ages, the area acquired a reputation as a centre for vice and vulgarity that lasted until well into the 17th century. By the 19^th century, the brothels had been replaced by wharves.

By the late 1970s, however, the wharves were defunct and most of the manufacturing and heavy industry in the area had gone too. Bankside’s decline was symbolized by the hulking shape of the recently decommissioned Bankside Power Station. Giles Gilbert Scott’s spectacular building was renovated and transformed by Swiss architects Herzog and De Meuron, and the impressive Turbine Hall is now the main cathedral-like exhibition space of Tate Modern.

Adjacent to Southwark Cathedral, heading a little away from theriver, lies the Borough, the main artery of which is Borough High Street. Borough Market, which lies between the High Street and the river, is the oldest fruit and vegetable market in London.

The current structure, in which butchers and fishmongers now also ply their trade, was built in 1851 and today is the first port of call for filmmakers seeking to impart a bit of Dickensian atmosphere to their movies.

Did you know – that numerous theatres were built on Bankside from the late 16^th century, the oldest of which was the Rose, and the most famous the Globe. The puritans closed the theatres in 1642 and Bankside became a focus for industry and commerce.

In the 17^th century, the playwright Thomas Dekker described Borough High Street as a “continued ale house with not a shop to be seen between”. Though there are shops now, some of those inns still stand in the courtyards off the High Street, notably the George, in a 1676 building that now belong to the National Trust. It is London’s last remaining galleried coaching inn.

The yard at 50 Borough High Street has London’s last remaining half-timbered house with an overhanging upper floor.

Home of Ken Livingstone and the GLA, City Hall is emblematic of modern thinking. Its glassy façade represents democratic openness; it uses water from its own well, even its unusual shape is designed to reduce surface area and improve energy efficiency.