South of the river and east of London Bridge, Bermondsey is an area of London stock brick , arched windows and wrought iron.
I’m a fan of Bermondsey Street, a friendly feeling - albeit highly gentrified - road running southeast from London Bridge lined with cafes.
Alas, readers. I hadn’t booked, they didn’t let me in and I don’t know enough about fashion or textiles to make it sound like I’ve been.
Still, at least you now know you definitely should book. There’s no permanent collection so it is also worth checking what’s on before you visit.
A small museum housing the steam engines that lifed the bascules on tower bridge until 1976.
One of the steam engines is still in motion - using electricity - and there’s a video to watch about the people who manned the bridge.
Overall a fun 15 minutes or so if you’re either a child or a boring fan of machinery, like me!
I cannot overstate the contrast between cheerful Bermondsey Street and the stark minimalism of the White Cube modern art gallery.
The cavernous white rooms are a sight in themselves and they allow the artwork to shine.
Southwark Park was a pleasant surprise for me - I’d never heard of it but it is huge and there’s a boating lake where during the summer you can hire a pedalo and be threatened by geese.
Other facilities include a café, tennis courts and even a bowling green, which seemed exactly as popular as I’d imagined it would be.
