Southwark

Photo of a flint wall with a rose window, part of some ruins Photo of a flint wall with a rose window, part of some ruins
Photo by me. The remains of the Bishop's palace

Situated directly south of the City of London, Southwark was historically an area of, how can I put it delicately? Somewhat dubious repute.

Before the mid 1800s it was controlled by the fabulously corrupt Bishops of Winchester who merrily allowed all the vices forbidden in The City to flourish, so that they could tax them.

I can forgive the bear baiting and gambling but I remain outraged that they allowed performances of Shakespeare at The Globe, truly sickening.

Nowadays Southwark is bear free, but remains more of an entertainment district than The City.

Things to do

Photo of the operating theatre, a semicircular room with raised viewing area.
Photo by me. It really was a theatre back then.

Old Operating Theatre

Located in the loft of St Thomas’ Church, this museum is only accessible through the narowest spiral staircase I’ve ever had the misfortune of shuffling up. It is worth it though, I promise.

The loft is filled with historic medical clutter, roughly divided into sections telling their own stories, while the operating theatre has some grimly vivid accounts of surgery pre-anaesthesia.

£9.00 - Children £5.50, families £20

oldoperatingtheatre.com
Photo of the front of the science gallery, a neoclassical brick building
A woefully bland looking picture by me, ah well.

Science Gallery

The Science Galleries consist of a large, airy cafe on the ground floor with some exhibition spaces upstairs. The building is directly opposite London Bridge Station so is a good place to recover from the misery of the Northern Line.

The exhibition spaces aren’t huge but are worth a look and there’s a programme of evening talks.

Free

london.sciencegallery.com
Photo of the wood & iron canopy over Borough Market, with BOROUGH MARKET written in huge letters on it.
Photo by me. You can't fault the clarity of the labelling.

Borough Market

Originally a wholesale market for Greengrocers, Borough Market moved towards selling direct to the general public in the 1990s.

Since then, to the irritation of some, it has gradually - but not entirely - shifted away from selling raw ingredients towards street food.

A good place for lunch, I hear you think! Well, no. It is so absurdly popular that it is just miserable at peak times, I recommend going early.

boroughmarket.org.uk

Speciality Coffee

Photo of a flat white in a kind of earthenware cup thing with no handle. Photo of a flat white in a kind of earthenware cup thing with no handle.
Photo by me. Sorry, this was just on my phone.

Origin Coffee

Coffee shop offering classes and tasting sessions, located in a Southwark railway arch.

I go here all the time and definitely recommend it, but I am resigned to my flat white sometimes taking ages and arriving lukewarm if it is busy.

They sell beans too, the Stronghold blend is a good, forgiving dark roast for home machines.

origincoffee.co.uk