May 2008

CITY WALKS CROSS THE RIVER

New walks south of the River Thames are proving very popular. These are in the areas of Rotherhithe and Southwark.

Rotherhithe was once alive with activity. The old Surrey Docks covered a vast area but since the 1980s this has undergone a remarkable transformation. The docks have been filled in – some channels still exist - and new housing estates and retail shopping sites have been built.

The extension of the Jubilee Line provided easier access and as the re-generation gathered pace, so the old buildings and warehouses gradually disappeared.

But London’s history doesn’t go away when the bulldozers move in; tucked away in the narrow streets that have survived are some interesting places to visit – the Brunel Museum, the old buildings alongside the Sufferance Wharves, the links with the Baltic Timber trade, the old mortuary in St Marychurch Street.

In Victorian times, Rotherhithe was notorious for slum housing, crime, poor health and sanitation facilities. The memories are still there – and a LONDON FOOTSTEPS walk will re-call these grim days.

Southwark was once governed by the City of London Corporation as the 26th ward; then came the local government re-organisation of the 1970s. Now Southwark looks after its own affairs as a Greater London Borough.

It has always been a gateway to the City and crossing London Bridge has been a route for travellers since Roman times. Hidden away off Borough High Street are the coaching yards which were always the start and end of journeys to London. The George Inn still remains and is not to be missed.

William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Octavia Hill and John Harvard have strong associations with Southwark and there are plenty of stories about the dark and mysterious events that have happened over the centuries.

This LONDON FOOTSTEPS walk takes in the waterfront restaurants and pubs that have become popular with Londoners and tourists. But step into the back streets and Southwark reveals another side of its character.

Watch out for these walks in future programmes.