Bermondsey

Photo of footbridges over Shad Thames Photo of footbridges over Shad Thames
Photo by me, this is Shad Thames.

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.

Things to do

Photo of a stark corridor lit by flourescent tubes
Photo by me, it's like an eerie liminal space.

White Cube

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.

Free

www.whitecube.com
Photo of the exterior of the museum, a modern, orange building
Photo by me, standing mournfully outside.

Fashion & Textile Museum

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.

£12.65

fashiontextilemuseum.org
Photo of one of the steam engines in motion
Photo by me, truly in here I was Alan Partridge.

Tower Bridge Engine Rooms

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!

£8.00 - £13 to visit the bridge

www.towerbridge.org.uk

Parks & Gardens

Photo showing the bandstand in Southwark Park Photo showing the bandstand in Southwark Park
Photo by me.

Southwark Park

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.

www.southwark.gov.uk