The Best Things to Do in Southwark

The borough of Southwark has been useful to London for a very long time. For centuries it was the approach to London from the south, which made it a place of trade, traffic and the kinds of businesses the City preferred to keep just across the water. Roman routes came through here, medieval markets took place here, and by the 16th and 17th centuries Bankside had become known for theatres, inns and entertainment that sat just outside the stricter control of the City authorities. Now, the borough has obvious landmarks, but it also has proper street life. A day out in Southwark can move from market stalls to Shakespeare, or from a Victorian bridge to contemporary art.

image source: Ana del Castillo / Shutterstock.com 

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge opened in 1894 after a long debate about how to create a new Thames crossing east of London Bridge without blocking river traffic to London. The solution was a bascule bridge with high level walkways and a lot of engineering confidence. Everyone knows what Tower Bridge looks like, so it is easy to treat it as a photograph moment on the riverside and move on from. The visit inside, however, is worth hanging around for.

The public route through the bridge includes the North and South Towers, the high-level walkways and the Victorian Engine Rooms. Aside from enjoying the views, one can also understand how the bridge actually works and why it was such an ambitious piece of infrastructure in the first place. The high-level walkways are the section most people remember, especially the glass floors, which give a clear view down to the road and river below. But the real substance of the attraction is in the engineering story. The Engine Rooms preserve the original machinery that once powered the bridge lifts using steam and hydraulic systems. Tower Bridge is not just pretty. It is useful, still doing its job, and much more interesting once inside, which is quite an achievement for something so often reduced to postcard status.

 

Borough Market

Located on Southwark Street and still doing what it was built for, Borough Market has never really lost its original purpose. The market was a trading site long before it became a destination for food lovers and has occupied its current site since 1756. That long history is still visible in the structure of the market, however today it operates very differently. Borough Market is not a polished food hall, and what makes it a strong day out rather than just a lunch stop is the range. The traders include bakers, cheesemongers, butchers, fishmongers and hot food stalls, so it works whether the aim is to build a picnic, eat on the go, or buy things to take home and cook later. Borough Market also puts a lot of emphasis on how food is produced and sold, with its charitable trust framing the market around community, sustainability and better food systems.

Within the market itself, stalls are organised into sections. Three Crown Square is home to larger producers and established merchants, whilst the Green Market focuses on smaller, specialist traders selling more niche or seasonal produce. Borough Market Kitchen is where most of the hot food stalls are grouped, making it the place people tend to drift towards when it is time to eat. Around the edges, there’s a wider mix of restaurants, bars and independent shops. The market is also one of the best places in Southwark for understanding the area. Under its glass and iron roofs the place is busy, practical and slightly chaotic in the best way, drawing a combination of office workers, locals, chefs, and visitors. Borough Market is historic, but not delicate. It still behaves like a market.

 

Shakespeare’s Globe

Shakespeare’s Globe on Bankside could easily have become a historical replica that people visit once out of duty. Happily, it is far more alive than that. The current Globe opened in 1997 as part of Sam Wanamaker’s long campaign to rebuild a working playhouse connected to Shakespeare’s world. The original Globe burned down in 1613, was rebuilt in 1614 and was eventually demolished thirty years later, so the current building is not the original structure, but it is the result of historical research and a very clear purpose.

Shakespeare’s Globe is a theatre, education centre and cultural landmark. There are guided tours of the Globe Theatre, performances in the open air theatre, and smaller-scale candlelight productions in the indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. The organisation also programmes other Renaissance playwrights, new writing, music, family events and educational work. For visitors, the attraction is partly the building itself. The open yard, wooden galleries and thrust stage give a sense of how early modern theatre worked, and also helps explain why Bankside was such a theatre district in the first place. Although a serious institution with educational value, Shakespeare’s Globe is also a venue where people buy tickets for productions, laugh, and continue to queue in the open air.  

 

The View from The Shard

Completed in 2012, The Shard was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano and is now one of London’s most iconic landmarks. The building’s selling point is straightforward. Visitors go up to Levels 68 and 69, with access to the open-air sky deck on Level 72, where viewing platforms offer 360-degree views for up to 40 miles. At almost twice the height of any other viewing platform in London, the space looks out over landmarks including St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge and the London Eye.

Tickets include access to the indoor viewing platforms, the open-air deck and a digital photo package, and there is a reassuring View Guarantee valid for 3 months if landmarks cannot be spotted due to the weather conditions. What makes it worth doing, beyond the skyline factor, is contrast. Southwark is full of ground-level history with its markets, busy streets and theatres, but going up the Shard changes the scale of the borough completely.

 

Tate Modern

In Bankside, Tate Modern sits a short walk from Millennium Bridge, directly facing St Paul’s Cathedral across the river, placing the gallery right in the middle of Southwark’s culture. Tate Modern is a place that can rescue an itinerary or completely take it over, depending on how much time is available. Located in the former Bankside Power Station, it launched in May 2000 and has reported over 115 million visits since opening.

The conversion of Giles Gilbert Scott’s power station gave the museum an industrial scale, and instead of trying to keep everything neat, Tate Modern uses that size to its advantage. Large installations sit comfortably within the space, circulation areas are generous, and even on busy days there is room to move at a steady pace. The collection covers modern and contemporary art from around the world, innovative and traditional exhibitions, and free guided tours and talks are also offered. Whilst admission to Tate Modern is free, private tours lasting 60-90 minutes are available for those who want a more in-depth look at particular artists or collections. Southwark has always been a place of trade, labour, performance and industry, and Tate Modern keeps that pattern going.

Today, Southwark is one of  London’s most rewarding areas for a day out. Borough Market continues to trade where it always has, Tower Bridge still serves its original purpose, and Shakespeare’s Globe keeps performance at the centre of the area. At Tate Modern, the building has been reworked without losing character, whilst The Shard offers a view across it all. Together, they are amongst the key things to do when spending time in Southwark.